Uganda Clays Limited (UCL) has paid tribute to the legacy of its outgoing Managing Director, Reuben Byaruhanga Tumwebaze, whose five-year tenure is being credited with one of the most significant turnarounds in the company's 70-year history.
According to the company, when Tumwebaze assumed office on February 1, 2021, Uganda Clays was grappling with severe operational and strategic challenges.
"Years of underinvestment had left the company vulnerable, with dwindling clay reserves, aging equipment, expiring land leases, and mounting production risks that threatened its long-term survival.Within his first months in office, internal assessments revealed that clay reserves at the Lweza quarry had fallen to just two acres--enough to sustain operations at the Kajjansi plant for barely four months," officials at the company said.
"At the same time, the Kamonkoli kiln was nearing collapse, while land tenure uncertainties at Kajjansi posed an existential threat to the company's operations."
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Officials said while faced with these challenges, Tumwebaze moved quickly to stabilize the business.
"Drawing on his engineering background and financial expertise, he pushed for rapid decision-making and execution, setting a new tone of urgency and accountability across the organization."
It is said, one of the most decisive interventions came in his first year, when Uganda Clays secured 140 acres of clay reserves to support operations at Kajjansi for more than 35 years. This single move eliminated one of the company's most critical long-term risks.
At the Kamonkoli factory, Tumwebaze oversaw the reconstruction and extension of the collapsed kiln by 20 metres using internal technical teams.
The project restored production capacity, improved product quality, and saved the company more than shs4 billion, while also demonstrating that Uganda Clays had the in-house capability to engineer its own recovery.
His leadership also ushered in modern manufacturing disciplines that had previously been absent. Key performance indicators such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness, energy efficiency, and cost per ton were introduced and embedded into daily operations.
A multi-year technical innovation process further optimized the clay mix, reducing firing temperatures, lowering energy costs, improving product strength, and ensuring compliance with Uganda National Bureau of Standards requirements.
"By 2021, these reforms had translated into measurable performance gains, with Uganda Clays recording a weighted average scorecard performance of 103.9 percent."
However, Tumwebaze placed equal emphasis on people and culture, recognizing that sustainable transformation required more than machinery and systems.
He replaced rigid top-down management structures with inclusive engagement, introducing regular shop-floor interactions, daily operational briefings, and transparent performance reviews. This shift improved internal communication, decision-making speed, and customer service turnaround times, while fostering a more empowered and solutions-oriented workforce.
Under his tenure, Uganda Clays also undertook strategic de-risking measures to secure its physical and operational footprint. Land in Mbarara was converted to freehold tenure, while most factory leases were renewed for 50 years, ensuring long-term stability for the company's operations.
Officials said, as he prepares to retire, Tumwebaze leaves behind a clearly articulated growth roadmap--the Turnaround, Repair and Aggressive Growth (TRAG) Strategy for 2025-2034.
"The strategy repositions Uganda Clays from a traditional brick manufacturer to a regional building solutions provider, with a focus on premium roofing tiles for the growing middle class and highly automated, large-scale production of standard bricks for mass markets."
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Among the proposals outlined is the development of a circular kiln capable of producing up to 400,000 bricks per day, with the potential to generate an additional shs69 billion in annual revenue.
In his final address to the Board, Tumwebaze called for continuity in discipline, execution, and leadership, urging the organization to sustain the momentum achieved during the turnaround period.
Uganda Clays is projected to post a profit for the 2025 financial year, marking a significant shift from the uncertainty that defined the period before his appointment.
The company says Tumwebaze leaves behind a stronger institution--financially, operationally, and culturally--positioned to support infrastructure development and shape the East African skyline for decades to come.
