Posta conducts joint inspection
12th-16th December, 2006

As part of the recommendations made during the 15th EARPTO tripartite meeting held in Nairobi, it was recommended that the next joint inspection of offices takes place in Kampala.

In that regard, from 12th to 16th December 2006 a team comprised of representatives from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda Postal Administrations conducted a joint inspection of Entebbe International Airport mail handling unit, the Kampala office of exchange (GPO) and Busia cross border mail exchange point.

The Postal Corporation of Kenya was represented by Mr. Jacob M Mangangi, the Assistant Manager Investigations and Mrs. Susan Ouma, the Assistant Manager International Mails, Tanzania Postal Corporation was represented by Mr. Peter Kuhanwa, the Manager Investigations, while the host was represented by Yusuf Hughes Ntabaazi, Magala Sulaiman, Lawrence Muwanga, Godfrey Kasansula, Florence Buluba and Martin Kigozi.

The main purpose of the inspection was to monitor and evaluate the processes and procedures of Posta Uganda operations with an emphasis on security, not only for the mail items but consideration was taken for issues such as the working conditions of staff, disaster preparedness…

At the end of the exercise, a detailed report bearing all observations made, problems sighted and their recommendations was made and forwarded to the three administrations, with an aim at improving the quality standards of Posta’s processes and procedures with an emphasis on maximizing security at all levels in the service supply chain.

The next joint inspection will take place in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in 2007.

East African spirit: The three guests; Susan Ouma, Peter Kuhanwa and Jacob M Mangangi meet the MD Posta Uganda, Mr. Collins Oneko.		Karibuni: Collins Oneko, the MD Posta Uganda welcomes the guests to Uganda at the General Posta Office, as Florence Buluba, Manager EMS looks on.
Inspecting: The delegation inspects the strong room at the General Post Office.		Comparing notes: The team inspects the EMS dispatch office at the General Post Office.
Taking notes: Lawrence Muwanga, Magala Sulaiman and Godfrey Kasansula witness the mail exchange process at Busia cross border point.		Site inspection: Mr. Jacob M Mangangi inspects the process of exchanging mail at Busia as Mr. Peter Kuhanwa chats with Uganda Revenue Authority staff.
Minds at work: The team finalizes the joint inspection report in the GPO Boardroom.		Tasty: The team enjoys a scrumptious meal at Speke Hotel, Kampala.

Posta unveils new Inter-city bus service
Wednesday, 25th October, 2006

On Wednesday 25th October 2006, Posta Uganda unveiled yet another new and exciting service, the Intercity Post bus service, with a fleet of four semi-luxurious Isuzu buses. The twelve year old Post bus service has steadily improved first with the introduction of new thirty capacity passenger buses in 2004, and now the introduction of two 55 capacity and two 62 capacity semi-luxurious buses, to cover the Kampala - Nairobi route. The function took place at Mantrac head offices on 7th street industrial area, and was presided over by the Chairperson Posta Uganda Board of Directors, Hajati Aisha Lubega.

In his speech, the Managing Director Mr. Collins Oneko said, “The buses will provide passenger transportation on the Kampala - Nairobi route. Each morning, two buses will leave for Nairobi from Clock Tower Post Office and another two buses will concurrently head for Kampala, from Nairobi General Post Office. This will ensure that we provide a reliable, accessible and prompt bus service at only 30,000/=.” Furthermore, he said that in adherence with the public motor-vehicle regulations, the buses are fitted with safety belts and each bus is fitted with speed governors.”

In her speech, the Guest of Honor and Chairperson of Posta Uganda Board of Directors, Hajati Aisha Lubega said: “the introduction of these bigger buses has been as a result of the immense inquiries and demand for the service from our customers and the general public. Today, I am very pleased that we have made good on our promise to provide them with this service.” Furthermore, she said that “As we unveil this fleet of buses, I wish to point out that today’s function is a yet another clear indicator of our unflinching determination in making sure that we provide our customers with the best services as manifested by our mission, “To provide the best customer-oriented communications, postal, financial and logistic services.”

In his speech, the Territory Manager, Mantrac Uganda Ltd said that his company is honored to be associated with Posta Uganda in this venture and promised to provide Posta technical support in making sure that the buses provide safe and comfortable services to Posta's customers. DFCU Ltd represented by Mark Muyobo the Business Development Manager said that DFCU is pleased to once again be associated with Posta Uganda in providing finical support to the tune of 900 million.

The new fleet of buses will in addition to passenger services, offer cargo and mail transportation. The function was attended by members from DFCU Lease Ltd, Goldstar Insurance Co Ltd, the insurers, management and staff of Posta and Mantrac (U) Ltd.

UNVEILING: The Chief Guest and Chairperson Posta BOD, Hajati Aisha Lubega warms up the engine to officially unveil the new buses.		TESTING: The chief guest, Hajati Aisha Lubega, the MD-Posta, Mr. Collins Oneko, The Territory Manager Mantrac, Vincent Balogun and Posta Management get a test drive on one of the buses.
SIMPLY SMART: A front and side view of the buses.		CLOSE TIES: The MD, Collins Oneko stresses a point to the Chairperson and chief guest as Mark Muyobo of DFCU Ltd, The Territory Manager Mantrac, Vincent Balogun and Saul Kirunda the Operations Manager Mantrac look on attentively.
The guest and press listen to the speeches during the function at Mantrac head offices.

Message from the Minister ICT on World Post Day
Monday, 9th October, 2006

Message by the Minister of Information and Communication Technology Hon. Dr. Ham Mukasa Mulira, on the occasion of the World Post Day, 9th October 2006.

On 9th October 2006, Uganda will join the rest of the world to commemorate the World Post Day 2006. This year we are celebrating this day under the theme: The Post-Reaching everyone, everywhere: Earning customers trust with total quality worldwide.

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on its part shares the objectives of this year’s theme and my Ministry is committed to ensure that the Ugandan postal sector provides assessable and high quality postal services. In this regard, my Ministry and the Government of Uganda are working very closely with Posta Uganda, Uganda Communications Commission and the Universal Postal Union, to make sure that this pledge becomes a reality.

The Government recognizes the important role that our postal sector plays in the economic and social development of our nation, which is why a lot of emphasis has been put in its growth and development. Government has put its focus on encouraging the post to utilize modern technology as a means of improving its quality of service delivery.

In addition, Government has also tackled the issue of a accessibility to postal services through the establishment of the Rural Communications Development Fund, which is administered by the Uganda Communications Commission. This fund has enabled Posta Uganda and other communication sector players, reach out to many communities, whose market may not be profitable. This is in line with governments promise to provide each and every Ugandan access to communication services.

I am happy to note that Posta Uganda in partnership with my Ministry and the Universal Postal Union has introduced modern technology in its services delivery, which has enabled it to transform in to a highly competitive and a high quality postal service provider. Furthermore, I am pleased to say that Posta Uganda has established a quality control unit which carries out regular quality tests on its national, regional and international service delivery standards. This measure has enables it to pin point its weak areas and provide remedies to the problems at hand.

The emergence of dynamic markets and complex consumer tastes, has made it even more important for any business to incessantly reinvent themselves in order to keep one step ahead of competition. The postal industry is no exception to this, which is why I believe that this year’s theme is very timely, as we witness the emergence of new communication modules that are eroding the Postal sector’s market share.

In conclusion, as the world celebrates 132 years of an organized international postal system, I wish to point out that the future of the world Postal industry lies in its ability to rigorously monitor and evaluate its quality standards, against the market’s status quo. This is the only way through which the post can earn customer trust.

I WISH YOU ALL HAPPY CELEBRATIONS



Message from the MD, Posta Uganda on World Post Day
Monday, 9th October, 2006

Message by the Managing Director of Posta Uganda on the occasion of the World Post Day, 9th October 2006 on the theme:

The Post-Reaching everyone, everywhere: Earning customers trust with total quality worldwide.

The world is becoming smaller through increased international trade, investment and new technology. This means that customer satisfaction is determined not only by how well a product can meet the needs of its customers, but also by the quality of service delivery. Service standards are increasingly becoming more and more consumer focused; this situation requires an in-depth knowledge of customer expectations and product efficiency. This is important for the survival of any business and the post is no exception.

Quality of service is one of the top priority concerns of postal industry, for it is critical in the effective response towards the ever-changing needs of the market. It is for that reason that Posta Uganda has implemented a number of postal reforms which are geared at transforming the organization into a more customer driven enterprise, offering the best services. Our focus is no longer product based but has become a two-way dialogue between our customers and us. Our focus is to involve our customers in developing products or services that are geared at providing solutions to their needs.

As the Director General of UPU put it in his 2006 World Post day message, “quality goes hand in hand with standardization and standards facilitate the inter-operability of the post.” Posta Uganda together with UPU and Uganda Communications Commission is continuously monitoring and evaluating its performance against the pre–established international postal service standards. This has greatly helped us to identify causes of deficiency in our quality and find solutions to the problems as and when they arise. It is for that reason that we have established a quality assurance section, whose role is to monitor and evaluate the organization’s quality of service. The section carries out periodical checks to make sure that we compliance with UPU standards.

Today, Posta Uganda offers a same day delivery for mail destined for Kampala and 48 hours delivery timeframe for mail destined for upcountry in accordance with UPU standards. Furthermore, our Post bus service offers an affordable and reliable nationwide passenger, mail and cargo transportation service. Plans are under way to expand our fleet in order to cover more towns and even move beyond our borders.

In relation to this years’ theme “reaching everyone, everywhere,” Posta Uganda is bringing its services closer to the people, through its post office relocation policy. The relocation policy has been designed to incorporate agents into our 300 post office network, so that our customers can easily access our services. In addition, we have also increased our postbox capacity with the installation of over 3,600 postboxes at GPO. More boxes have been put up at Clock Tower, Kyambogo, Clive Road- Jinja, Mukono Post Offices, to mention a few. This expansion will go a long way to cater for the growing demand for our services in Uganda.

Service delivery efficiency has been addressed through the automation of all our counter services at GPO and plans are underway to roll out the automation project to other regional offices. Another key area in which we have heavily invested in, is security. In 2000 Posta Uganda installed a CCTV system at GPO and Entebbe airport mail handling unit, to enhance our customer’s mail and today I am happy to note that the levels of mail violation at have significantly dropped and customer trust has grown.

As I conclude, I wish to point out that for the postal industry to remain relevant and earn the trust of its customers, it is imperative that the quality of service delivery is continuously monitored and evaluated against set national, regional and international standards. I believe that this is the best way through which the post can guarantee customer satisfaction and at the same time, expand its capital base.




URA Commissioner General pays courtesy call on Posta
Friday, 1st September, 2006

On Friday 1st September 2006, the Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority, Ms. Allen Kagina, paid a courtesy call on Posta Uganda. The visit was meant to help her get acquainted with the URA operations in the parcels office and at the same time, meet Posta Uganda management.

During the meeting, the Mr. Collins Oneko the MD of Posta Uganda , made a presentation to highlight the various problems that the company is facing. He called on URA to review its stance regarding the disallowed write-offs dating back to the UPTC days. In addition, he asked URA to assist bring to book the informal sector, both licensed and unlicensed commuter bus operators that are eating into the company’s market share, illegally. The MD added that Posta is committed to settle its tax disputes and said, “We have put in place a repayment plan which we commit to respect. Going forward Posta Uganda is committed to meeting all its statutory requirements.”

The Commissioner General thanked the MD for having highlighted to her Posta’s problems, most of which she confessed not having had any prior knowledge about. She pledged to look into the issues discussed and find a remedy to the problems at hand.

WELCOME: The MD Mr. Collins Oneko welcomes the Commissioner General URA Ms. Allen Kagina to Posta Uganda. Looking on is the GM/Operations Mr. David Kitongo and URA staff.		TACKLING ISSUES: The URA Commissioner General stresses a point as the MD attentively looks on.

MD hosts customers to a cocktail
Tuesday, 22nd August, 2006

On the evening of Tuesday 22nd August 2006, the Managing Director, Mr. Collins Oneko, hosted Posta's key corporate customers to a cocktail at Hotel Africana. The chief guest was Hon. Ham Mulira, the Minister for Information Communication Technology.

At the function, the Managing Director said “I believe that Posta Uganda has got all the resources to deliver the aspirations of our stakeholders and I promise that during this financial year, we will focus on turning around the business while asserting ourselves as a high quality service provider.” Mr. Oneko noted that he believes that what Posta is experiencing are not problems as such but day to day business challenges that will be over come only if all stakeholders work as a team.

In her speech, the Chairperson of the Board Hajati Aisha Lubega said that she is confident that the appointment of Mr. Collins Oneko will help Posta Uganda develop into a successful entity because of the right leadership qualities he has.

The chief guest, Hon. Ham Mulira said “Even with the advancement and introduction of ICT, the post to-date remains the most affordable and accessible means of communication worldwide. Being the most universally available and economically accessible form of communication, it provides the core infrastructure in most societies and in many small communities; it is regarded as the central convergence point linking them to the rest of the world. As part of the economic dynamics and the drive to push the business forward, Government is encouraging the use of ICT to further enhance the quality of service rendered by Posta Uganda and at the same time meet the growing demands of a market without barriers.”

CHAT: Hon. Ham Mulira chats with the Chairperson B.O.D, Hajati Aisha Lubega and the MD Mr. Collins Oneko		SPEECH: The MD delivers his address at the function
TACKLING ISSUES: The Minster for ICT Hon. Ham Mulira delivers his speech at the function.
HELLO: Mr. Collins Oneko exchanges business cards with the MD Nile Bank Mr. Richard Byarugaba, while Mr. Kafeero of UCC, Wilfred and Sibo look on.		WELCOME: The MD welcomes the Minister for ICT Hon. Ham Mulira while the Chairperson B.O.D Hajati Aisha Lubega and B.O.D member, Dr. David Turahi look on.

Posta least corrupt government entity
Extract from: The New Vision, Page 2, Monday, 14th August, 2006

Traffic Police, Uganda Revenue Authority, tender boards and the Electoral Commission are the most corrupt government institutions, an integrity survey has revealed. Respondents ranked the institutions at 83%, 77%, 79% and 78% respectively, while a total of 60% and 57% respondents ranked national Water and Sewerage Corporation and Posta Uganda as the least corrupt.

This was revealed in the Second National Integrity survey report for 2003 conducted by K2-Consults Uganda Ltd on behalf of the Inspector General Government (IGG), followed an earlier baseline survey carried out in 1998 to evaluate perceptions and experiences of corruption by government service providers.

The purpose of the survey was to provide information for strategic planning and generate data for future surveys. A total of 12,190 household interviews were conducted in 391 villages in 55 of the total 56 districts. A total of 190 community appraisals were carried out in 20% of all sub-counties and 480 public sectors and 618 private sector interviews were administered.



Posta gets a new Managing Director.
Tuesday, 1st August 2006

On 1st August 2006, Mr. Collins Oneko joined Posta Uganda as the Managing Director. He is an Aeronautical Engineer by profession and has a wide experience and exposure in Sub-Saharan Africa, having worked in Congo Brazzaville as General Manager for Singer Sewing Machine Company and more recently, Kenya Breweries Limited, as Sales Director.

Welcome to Posta Uganda.

The New MD of Posta Uganda, Mr. Collins Oneko

Posta launches Western Union Stamps.
Monday, 24th July 2006

Posta Uganda in collaboration with Western Union launched a series of Western Union stamps to commemorate its tenth anniversary in Africa, at a cocktail held at the Sheraton Hotel.

The chief guest at the function was Mr. Khalid Felahi, Western Union’s Vice President for Africa, he was joined by The CEO of Diamond Trust Bank, Mr. Manmath Dalai, the Managing Director of Nile Bank, Mr. Richard Byarugaba and the acting Managing Director of Posta Uganda Mr. Winston Sibo.

The stamps come in three denominations as follows:

• A 400 shilling stamp featuring the Western Union logo marking its 10th anniversary of existence in Africa.
  
  
• A 1,600 shilling stamp featuring a globe which symbolises the fast, reliable worldwide money transfer service coverage that Western Union offers.
  
  
• A 2,000/= stamp featuring the flags of 48 African countries in which Western Union operates.
  
  

The stamps are now available at all Posta Offices countrywide and for philately customers, you can now get them from the Stamp Bureau at the Kampala General Post Office or at our branches at Jinja, Gulu and Mbale.

Launch: The Ag. MD of Posta Uganda, Mr. Winston Sibo, The MD of Nile Bank, Mr. Richard Byarugaba, The CEO of Diamond Trust Bank, Mr. Manmath Dalai, and The Western Union Vice President for Africa, Mr. Khalid Felahi, launch the Western Union Stamps at Sheraton Hotel

New Ministers for ICT visit Posta.
Thursday, 6th July 2006

The new Minister for Information Communication Technology (ICT), Hon Hamu Mulira together with the Minister of State for ICT Hon. John Alintuma Nsambu, paid a courtesy call on Posta Uganda on Thursday 6th July 2006, at a colourful ceremony held at the General Post Office.

The purpose for their visit was to acquaint themselves with the Board of Directors and Management of Posta and at the same time reassure the company of the ministry’s continued support for the company and the communications industry at large.

During their visit the Ministers where treated to a speech by the Chairperson thereafter the AG. MD made a power-point presentation which outlined the milestones that Posta has achieved over the years. Thereafter they where conducted to a tour of the counter area, EMS, Post internet Cafe, Central Sorting Center, Parcels section and thereafter they where treated to a sumptuous meal in the Post Canteen.

Attentive: The Ag MD, Mr. Winston Sibo, The Chairperson B.O.D Hajati Aisha Lubega, The Minister for ICT, Hon. Hamu Mulira and the Minister of State for ICT, Hon. John Alintuma Nsambu
The Minister tours the EMS office at GPO on a familiarization tour on the 6th July, 2006		The Minister for ICT and the Minister of State for ICT attentively listen to the Manager, Central Sorting Centre during their visit to GPO on 6th July, 2006.
Hon Hamu Mulira, Minister for ICT surfs the web at the Post Cafe at GPO during his tour on 6th July, 2006		Refreshments: The Ministers wind up the tour with some refreshments at the Post Canteen

Uganda hosts Ten Pan African Postal Union Member Countries.
23rd-25th May 2006

The Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) in collaboration with Posta Uganda and Uganda Communications Commission organized a three-day workshop from 23rd to 25th May 2006, at Hotel Africana.

The Pan African Postal Union is a specialized agency of the African Union (AU) which was established to champion the requirements of the African Post at an international level and at the same time ensure uniform development throughout the continent.

The workshop was organized under the themes:

“The African Post facing its environment: challenges and opportunities: customs, town planning authorities, state police airline carriers… ”

“The convergence between Posts and Telecommunication, two entities historically linked cooperation and/or collaboration in the best interest of all.”

The workshop drew participants from Zimbabwe, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania. The Pan African Posta Union secretariat was represented by the Deputy Secretary General, Mrs. Rodah Masaviru, while Mr. Andrew Kawamara, the Standardization Research Programme Coordinator for the African Telecommunications Union.

The workshop also attracted participants from Uganda Police, Uganda Revenue Authority, the African Telecommunications Union and Uganda Telecom Limited, who are key stakeholders in the postal industry, and Posta Uganda in particular.

A group photo of the delegates at the PAPU workshop
Ag. MD Posta Uganda, the Chair Person B.O.D Posta Uganda & Deputy Secretary General PAPU, listen to presentations		A cross section of the delegates listen to the Deputy Secretary General PAPU making her remarks
Delegates enjoy their lunch at Hotel Africana		The delegates take time off to dance Ugandan local music during a cocktail at Grand Imperial Hotel

GPO installs new letter boxes
May 2006

In a bid to satisfy the huge customer demand for letterboxes in Kampala, Posta Uganda has installed over 3,600 additional boxes at the Kampala General Post Office. The new boxes are ready for use and customers urged to send in their applications immediately.

Posta has also fitted additional boxes at Clock tower Post Office, Kyambogo Post Office, Clive Road Post Office in Jinja and Mukono Post Office to address the growing demands of customers in those areas.

In the near future, similar projects will be carried out at other Post Offices throughout the country, to satisfy customer demand for the service.




Posta introduces new Post Box Rental Procedure
Sunday, 1st January 2006

With effect from 1st January 2006, annual payments for post box rental shall be handled between January and February each year or else customer may stand to lose out or pay a fine on their letterbox.

The General Manager Operations, David Kitongo said that these changes have been put up to streamline on Posta Uganda’s service delivery.

It is expected that with these new measure in place, customers will stand to benefit as follows:

• Invoicing of existing customers shall be done every January and February.
  
  
• New customers shall continue being issued post boxes throughout the year but invoicing shall be done at the beginning of each year, hence the sooner the better.
  
  
• This new payment system shall enable us to collect payments in lump sum and plough it back into improving the quality of our services such as purchasing locks, increasing on our service delivery points...
  
  

The move is meant to offer our customers with an atmosphere conducive in which to conduct their business and at the same time enjoy ample parking space and security.

The private letterboxes shall be moved to clock tower in due course whoever customers are requested to check with clock tower post office counters for their mail as we make final preparation to move the boxes.