By Namugerwa Martha
Patrick Bitature is a Ugandan businessman, father, husband and entrepreneur, he is the founder and chairman of the Simba Group of Companies, an East African conglomerate, with interests in telecoms, energy production, mining, media, real estate, travel, and leisure.
Bitature is the owner of Protea Hotel , a 5 star hotel located in the up market surburb of Kololo in Kampala and he was named the second wealthiest man in Uganda according to Forbes in 2016 with a net worth of $100 million.
He is the founder and chairman of Simba Telecom, East Africa’s largest mobile phone retailer with over 100 modern retail outlets in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya Telecom, his company is also the largest mobile phone airtime distributor in the region.
Bitature was born on 10th may 1960, a first born to a middle class family in Fort portal, Kabalore district, he is married to wife Carol Bitature and four children.
He attended Namasagali college in Kamuli district for his O level education and later Nyakasura high school in Fort portal, Kabalore district for his A level education.
Bitature studied at the London school of accountancy in United kingdom then later joined the institute of chartered secretaries and administrators where he holds a rank of fellow of the institute. In 2013 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the united graduate college and seminary international based in Asheville North Carolina.
At 13 years old Bitature’s father was murdered during the Idi Amin regime that’s when Bitature became the bread winner of his family through trading sugar, clothing, shoes and foreign currencies for survival.
In 1998, Bitature started a company that he named Simba Telecom Limited which became a franchisee of MTN Uganda which had just opened in the country by that time.
His Simba Telecom grown into the largest seller of MTN airtime in Uganda with gross sales in excess of $80 million in 2010, and over the years , he has formed other companies within the Simba Group of Companies with subsidiaries in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania including:
- Simba Telecom Limited
- Kampala Protea Hotel
- Eletromaxx limited –owner 0operator of the 70 megawatt Tororo Power Station
- Simba Mining Limited
- Simba Dairy Farm
- Tororo Solar Power Station
Other responsibilities
- He is the chairman of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, which is an umbrella body composed of private sector enterprises and offering lobbying advocacy and training for its members. He was appointed to that position in 2014.
2.Since 2007, he has been the chairman of the board of directors of Umeme, the largest electric energy distributor in Uganda.
- Since 2009, he has been the chairman of Ndege Premier Aviation Company, a private air charter and earoplane management company based at Kajjasi airport.
4.He has been a member of the board of directors of the Commonwealth Business Council since August 2016
5.Since October 2007, he has been a member of Traidlinks Limited and a director of the Ugandan chapter. Traidlinks is an Irish, non-profit organisation focused on improving the productivity of subject matter experts and promotes the growth of Public-Private Partnerships.
6.Since December 2010, he has served as the honorary consul of Australia in Uganda.
- Since March 2013, he has served as the patron of the Australian Alumni Association Uganda
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