Mr. Hippocrates and Mrs Clio Georgiadis first registered Uganda Clays Limited as a private limited liability Company on 10th July, 1950.
The Company’s ownership has changed hands over time and in 1969, Westomat Construction and Engineering Corporation (WCEC) took over the Company. These in turn sold 75% of the Company to National Housing and Construction Corporation (NHCC) in 1977, and their remaining 25% to White Tower Corporation (WTC) in 1996. It is the 75% stake in the company acquired by NHCC from WCEC in 1977 which Government divested at the end of 1999, bringing on board National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and National Insurance Corporation Ltd (NICL) together with other 957 shareholders.
WTC sold their interest to Kenya Clay Products Ltd (KCPL), who are also engaged in similar business like UCL, in August 2002. In 2006, KCPL sold out their interest to different shareholders, and currently the main shareholders remain NSSF (32.5%) and NIC (18.7%) together with just over 2600 other shareholders. UCL was the first equity to be listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE) in 2000. In 2006, due to share price escalation, it carried out its first share split of 10:1, and this was followed by a second one of 100:1 in 2008.
The Company as at 30 June 2012 employed 693 people at its two factories in Kajjansi and Kamonkoli and various branches in and outside Uganda. Of these, 83 are managerial and clerical grades and 271 are unionised workers. The remaining 339 are contract/temporary/casual workers.
The Company is constantly upgrading the knowledge and skills of supervisors, foremen and managers through training and retraining. Many employees have also taken advantage of the many evening programmes offered at universities and other tertiary education institutions to sponsor themselves and obtain higher qualifications. As the operational processes become more technical, employees must also upgrade their knowledge and skills for synergies to be realised.
The Company is overseen by a ten-member Board of Directors through a Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director under whom there are six departments, namely Human Resources, Audit, Finance, Information Technology, Marketing and Production.
The Company has won numerous trophies, awards and recognition, among which include:
1. ISO:9001:2000 Certification (2003)
2. Federation of Uganda Employees (FUE) [Employers Award for Best Welfare Benefits and Compensation Schemes] (2003, 2004, 2005)
3. Presidential Transformers Award (2006)
4. Mwanza (Tanzania) Trade Fair [Most Outstanding Display] (2006)
5. ASEA in conjunction with USE [In recognition of invaluable contribution to the growth and development of Uganda Securities Exchange] (2008)
6. Uganda Society of Architects [Sponsorship of symposiums] (2008, 2009)
7. Kampala City Traders Association [Best Baked Clay Products 2009/10] (2009)
8. Rotary Club of Kajjansi, District 920 [Vocational Award 2009] (2009)
9. Standard Chartered Bank [Recognition of True Partnership] (2009)
10. Uganda International Trade Fair [Uganda manufacturers Association]: Best Exhibitor, Non-metallic sector (2009)
UCL has been an active member and partner of the Kajjansi community and the surrounding areas. It has been enthusiastic in cultural and sports activities, education, health, security, religious organisations, as well as local authorities; for the latter in areas such as road maintenance, garbage disposal, sanitation, recreation and trade.
The factory at Kajjansi has also become a favourite study-tour destination for educational institutions throughout Uganda, from nursery schools to universities. In 2012, 10,078 visitors from 121 such institutions toured the factory.