Kagimu: The Libyan’s man in Uganda
HABIB Kagimu, the businessman and chairman of Tamoil East Africa, is an indispensable intermediary in Kampala for anything connected with Libya. He has been President Yoweri Museveni’s special envoy, and certain Arab countries, to Libya several times.
HABIB Kagimu, the businessman and chairman of Tamoil East Africa, is an indispensable intermediary in Kampala for anything connected with Libya. He has been President Yoweri Museveni’s special envoy, and certain Arab countries, to Libya several times.
Kagimu has played an important role in the recent expansion of Libyan investment in Uganda. A member of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, he is married to a Libyan woman who is believed to be related to president Muammar Gadhafi.
Kagimu is also a close ally of one of Gadhafi's sons, Seif Al Islam.
As a rich businessman in Uganda and the neighbouring region, he managed a hotel company in Djibouti for a while, (ION 1030) and was a political negotiator and intelligence agent in his spare time.
He is the head of a trading empire consisting of several, sometimes opaque companies, such as Crystal Communications, East Africa), the Grand Casino in Kampala and the Southern Investments Company.
He is also the agent in Uganda for several companies from Arab countries and does a considerable amount of work as an intermediary, paid by commission.
Thus, he boasts of having facilitated, some years ago, the rapprochement between Libya and the UK, by preparing the visit to Tripoli of the then British minister of state at the Foreign office, Mike O’Brien.
With his Southern Investments Company, in which one of Gadhafi’s sons is believed to be a partner, Kagimu attempted, unsuccessfully, to recover $120m (about sh210b) that Uganda owed to Libya. This was before Tripoli decided to convert this debt into equity in local companies and acquire the National Housing and Construction Corporation, which is planning massive investment over the next few years.
Kagimu has also played a role in the joint venture agreement between Libya and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, which is to lead to the construction of an instant coffee manufacturing plant.
He has also used his influence to facilitate Libya’s acquisition of a Ugandan garments firm which exports to the US as part of the Africa Growth Opportunities Act. A close ally of the former vice-president Specioza Kazibwe, who yearned to build a shopping mall in Kampala, Kagimu is also a friend of a Rwandan businessman Silas Majyambere, who runs a hotel in Djibouti and whose conversion to Islam he cautioned a few years back.
www.AfricaIntelligence.com
Kagimu has played an important role in the recent expansion of Libyan investment in Uganda. A member of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, he is married to a Libyan woman who is believed to be related to president Muammar Gadhafi.
Kagimu is also a close ally of one of Gadhafi's sons, Seif Al Islam.
As a rich businessman in Uganda and the neighbouring region, he managed a hotel company in Djibouti for a while, (ION 1030) and was a political negotiator and intelligence agent in his spare time.
He is the head of a trading empire consisting of several, sometimes opaque companies, such as Crystal Communications, East Africa), the Grand Casino in Kampala and the Southern Investments Company.
He is also the agent in Uganda for several companies from Arab countries and does a considerable amount of work as an intermediary, paid by commission.
Thus, he boasts of having facilitated, some years ago, the rapprochement between Libya and the UK, by preparing the visit to Tripoli of the then British minister of state at the Foreign office, Mike O’Brien.
With his Southern Investments Company, in which one of Gadhafi’s sons is believed to be a partner, Kagimu attempted, unsuccessfully, to recover $120m (about sh210b) that Uganda owed to Libya. This was before Tripoli decided to convert this debt into equity in local companies and acquire the National Housing and Construction Corporation, which is planning massive investment over the next few years.
Kagimu has also played a role in the joint venture agreement between Libya and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, which is to lead to the construction of an instant coffee manufacturing plant.
He has also used his influence to facilitate Libya’s acquisition of a Ugandan garments firm which exports to the US as part of the Africa Growth Opportunities Act. A close ally of the former vice-president Specioza Kazibwe, who yearned to build a shopping mall in Kampala, Kagimu is also a friend of a Rwandan businessman Silas Majyambere, who runs a hotel in Djibouti and whose conversion to Islam he cautioned a few years back.
www.AfricaIntelligence.com