Uganda’s second-largest beer company, Uganda Breweries, has handed over a cheque of royalties worth Shs 515 million accrued to the Buganda Kingdom where it makes and sells beer by routing profits through a popular brand called NGULE.
The company, whose flagship brands include Bell, Tusker Malt Lager and Guinness said they were pleased to be handing over what is owed to the Kabaka (king) accrued in the previous financial year as promised.
“Since introduction to market in January, Ngule has received an overwhelming positive reception from the market,” Mark Ocitti, Managing Director of UBL said on Friday at Bulange, Mengo in the presence of members of the Lukiiko and Buganda Muluka chiefs.
The Ngule is Luganda word meaning ‘‘Crown’’. The beer is made from local ingredients; cassava and sorghum, which are exclusively sourced from the kingdom and sold at a recommended retail price of UGX2, 000. Given its low pricing and quality, Ngule is sold to the lower segment of Ugandan consumers where it competes with sister beer Senator Lager and Nile Breweries’s with Eagle Extra, Eagle Lager and Chibuku.
Buganda Katikkiro (Prime Minister) Charles Peter Mayiga at the handover said Ngule is one of the many initiatives of the kingdom and urged the people to continue supporting their King.
Through the Local Raw Materials Program, UBL spends an estimated UGX 20 billion annually on local raw material sourcing. Due to the increased market demand for Ngule, UBL’s monthly cassava supply requirements have gone up from 700 metric tons to 1,500 metric tons according to Mr. Ocitti.
