Simon Kagugube (7 January 1956 – 15 February 2020), was a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, corporate executive and taxation expert, who served as the Chairman of the board of directors at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda's revenue collection agency. He concurrently served as the Chairman of Monitor Publications in Uganda, and was a member of the board of directors at

Nation Media Group Nation Media Group (abbreviated as NMG) is a Kenyan media group listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. NMG was founded by Aga Khan IV in 1959 and is the largest private media house in East and Central Africa with offices in Kenya, Uganda, and Tan ...

, based in Kenya. Simultaneously, he was an executive director at

Centenary Bank Centenary Bank is a commercial bank in Uganda licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. History The bank was founded in 1983 as a credit trust, Centenary Rural Development Trust (CRDT), by Simeon Lutaa ...

, a commercial bank in Uganda, and he sat on the bank's board of directors.

Background and education

He was born in Uganda on 7 January 1956 and attended Namilyango Junior Primary School. For his secondary education, he studied at

St. Mary's College Kisubi St. Mary's College Kisubi (SMACK) is a private, boarding middle and high school located in Wakiso District in the Central Region of Uganda. Established in 1906. Location The school is in Kisubi along the Kampala–Entebbe Road, approximately , ...

. He was admitted to

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, Uganda's oldest and largest

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree. He went on to obtain a

Diploma in Legal practice A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

, from the Law Development Centre. He was then admitted to the Ugandan Bar, as a practicing attorney. His degree of

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in Corporation Law, Taxation and International Trade Systems, was awarded by

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, in the United States. He also held a Doctor of Science of Law, also awarded by Yale University. His doctoral specialization was in Immigration, Refugees and Asylum Law. His other academic qualifications included a Certificate in Public Finance from University of Bath and a certificate in the Commonwealth Tax Inspectors’ course.

Career

Dr Kagugube worked at the Uganda Revenue Authority, as Commissioner for Value Added Tax and while there, served temporarily as Deputy Commissioner General of the agency. At the time of his death, he was the chairman of the board at the tax agency. In the early 2000s, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Uganda as the Director of Tax and Legal Services, while simultaneously serving as the chairman of the board at Centenary Bank. He was appointed to the Board of Nation Media Group, as an independent non-executive director, in September 2011. He concurrently served as the Chairman of the Board of Monitor Publications Limited in Uganda, a Nation Media Group subsidiary. At the time of his death in February 2020, Kagugube was an Executive Director at Centenary Bank, a commercial bank in Uganda and was a member of the bank's board of directors.

Illness and death

Kagugube visited Victoria Clinic on Lumumba Avenue, in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, but collapsed on arrival, on 1 February 2020. He was transferred to nearby

Nakasero Hospital Nakasero Hospital Limited, commonly referred to as Nakasero Hospital, is a private, for-profit hospital in Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest city in that country. The hospital is one of five private upscale hospitals in the city; t ...

, where he was diagnosed with a blocked coronary artery (

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

). He was then transferred that afternoon to the

Uganda Heart Institute Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), is a specialized, public, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Uganda Ministry of Health. It is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hos ...

, where he underwent an emergency coronary bypass operation that was deemed successful. A pacemaker was also inserted in his heart to control an irregular rhythm. When he regained consciousness after the heart surgery, he was asked to select an institution where he could be monitored while waiting for sufficient recovery before flying him abroad for a cardiac rehabilitation program. He selected Nakasero Hospital. While at Nakasero, he developed complications, including uncontrolled blood sugar (he was a

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

), low blood pressure and kidney failure, requiring dialysis. Kagugube died on the afternoon of 15 February 2020, at

, in Kampala, where he had been admitted days before. He was buried at Mawagga Village, Mityana District, on 18 February 2020.

Family

He married wife, Eva Kagugube on 9 April 1983 at Christ the King Catholic Church, in Kampala, Uganda.

Other considerations

Kagugube was the president of the ''East African School of Taxation'', a private institution based in

References

External links

Website of Uganda Revenue AuthorityWebsite of Centenary Bank, Uganda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kagugube, Simon 1956 births 2020 deaths Ganda people Makerere University alumni Law Development Centre alumni Yale University alumni Alumni of the University of Bath People from Mityana District 20th-century Ugandan lawyers 21st-century Ugandan lawyers Centenary Bank people People educated at St. Mary's College Kisubi