AFRICAN HUB COUNTRIES FIRM BRIEFINGS Kusaasira & Co
2012 Firm Overview Cross-border matters
DRC, Tanzania
Highlight clients Total E&P Uganda, Heritage Oil & Gas, Gulf Resources Uganda, East Africa Gold
Most active disciplines
Litigation, arbitration, company and commercial, M&A and joint- ventures, asset finance, capital markets, project finance (energy and resources), environmental, land, tax
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas,
Key partners Denis Kusaasira, Hakim Muwonge
Kusaasira & Co is a relatively new firm in Uganda with a specialist focus on oil and gas and mining law. The team covers commercial, cor- porate, employment, environmental, IP and litigation aspects and has in the past work on matters alongside global firms such as Norton Rose, McCarthy Tetrault and Lewis Silkin. The firm is full service and also provides tax, accounting and business services.
Matters The firm acts as principal external counsel to Total E&P Uganda for its regulatory, contracting, employment and immigration matters and was recently acted for Heritage Oil & Gas on contentious tax matters arising from the farm-in/farm-out between Tullow Oil and Heritage. The firm was appearing as an expert witness on the tax matters in the London Commercial Court. The firm is also principal external counsel to Gulf Resources Uganda
and East Africa Gold, where Denis Kusaasira and team assist on land, company secretarial, employment, environmental, regulatory, licenses, acquisitions, asset finance and stock exchange issues, among others.
Masembe Makubuya Adriko Karugaba SSekatwa Advocates (MMAKS)
2012 Firm Overview Most active disciplines
ADR, arbitration, litigation, company and commercial, private equity and funds, banking, capital markets, employment, environmental, IP, land, tax
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas, water, sewage and utilities
Key partners Phillip Karugaba, Apollo Makubuya, Timothy Masembe
MMAKS is one of Uganda’s biggest corporate commercial law firms and is a member of the ALN network. Philip Karugaba leads a large transactions team while in 2012 the firm was undertaking specialist training in oil and gas, with two associates currently on secondment in London. The contentious practice at the firm is also busy, especially in arbitration in mining sector cases, and the team has a good reputation among international law firms.
Matters On the disputes side, Apollo Makubuya and Timothy Masembe were representing a holder of an exploration license in arbitration to settle a dispute over the rights to the Kilembe Mines and a gold mining explo- ration license holder in litigation over surface rights for a gold mining project. Makubuya was also acting for a confidential client in interna-
66 ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013
tional arbitration with 24 Essex Court Chambers (UK) in a shareholder dispute related to uranium mining in Kazakhstan.
Sebalu & Lule Advocates
2012 Firm Overview Highlight clients
Tullow Operations, Hima Cement Uganda, Electromaxx, Government of Uganda
Most active disciplines
Litigation, corporate, asset finance, banking, capital markets, PPP/PFI, project finance (energy and infrastructure), employment, environmental, IP, land
Key sectors
Mining and metals, oil and gas, power, industry and manufacturing, rail, water, sewage and utilities
Key partners Nicholas Ecimu, Barnabas Tumusingize
Sebalu & Lule is one of the usual suspects for high level corporate fi- nance work in Uganda and it has recently been advising lenders pro- viding extra financing to the Bujagali II dam and working on Uganda’s only copper mine. The firm is often recommended for both transac- tional and contentious instructions and is also part of the DLA Piper Group. Nicholas Ecimu leads the energy and infrastructure practice and is
highly recommended, while energy and infrastructure clients also re- serve praise for Barnabas Tumusingize, with one client endorsing Tu- musingize and team especially for oil and gas matters. Indeed, the firm has lately been training associates in oil and gas law and has been very active in energy-sector litigation, recently representing clients in the High Court of Uganda.
Matters Nicholas Ecimu was leading a team acting as transaction advisor with DLA Piper to the Privatisation & Utility Sector Reform Project (Ugan- dan government) on the concession project for the Kilembe Mines, Uganda’s only copper mine. The PPP (public-private partnership) con- cession is an attempt to revive the operation. The team was also advising on a substantial railway PPP project, advising a regional concessionaire with financing from Asia. Lender mandates saw the firm working with Linklaters to assist
Dutch and German banks FMO and DEG on an additional $25 mil- lion of financing to the Bujagali II dam developer and advising inde- pendent power producer Electromaxx on financing to expand its thermal plant capacity from 20MW to 50MW. The $35 million is being wholly locally funded, marking the first infrastructure project in the country. Barnabas Tumusingize featured on the latter.
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