Dell to set up office in Uganda

KAMPALA - A team from the Microsoft-Dell offices in the USA has said the computer software and hardware manufacturers will soon open offices in Kampala to take care of their business in the region.

The team which was in the country at the end of last week said business in Uganda has been growing at 20% per annum, prompting them to have a legal presence in the country.

"We are amazed at the level of computer proficiency in this country. People are increasingly asking for high level IT solutions  which we are happy to provide, but also now, we must think of setting up offices to address any needs and queries they may have," said Nazih Moufarrej, Dell's regional sales director.

"Our appliances in the country have been circulated over the years by a team of distributers, which we intend to keep in place as the office deals with technical issues," he added.

This was during a meeting organised by their biggest distributors in Uganda, the service and computer industries ltd, at the Kampala Sheraton hotel on Friday.

He said the computer manufacturers will launch new windows software at the end of July, and will offer free upgrades for their Ugandan customers.

"We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10 and anybody interested should visit our distributors for the free upgrade," he said.

The upgrade is an attempt by Microsoft to get legitimate version of Windows 10 onto machines of the millions of Windows users.

The consumer and channel group lead, Morris Maina, said the new windows software comes with improved security measures, reliability, speed and ease to use, compared to the old versions.

"We have added new security measures such as virtual password storage, spiced with voice and fingerprint detection before it can be accessed, to keep client's information safe," he said.

He said the Windows 10 will come pre-installed on Microsoft-compatible computers and tablets from July 29 and will be available for purchase later in the year.

"It will also have a common base with which developers will be able to build apps that work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and desktops, and will give a lot of headway for Ugandan developers," he said.