Uganda lost an estimated Shs 360 billion in potential revenue last year after failing to host several international conferences it had bid for, according to the latest Auditor General’s report.
This loss occurred despite Uganda spending Shs 1.8 billion to try to attract conferences and international conventions to Uganda.
The Auditor General faults the Uganda Convention Bureau (UCB) and the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) for failing to demonstrate whether public money spent on pursuing conferences delivered any return.
The report for the year ending December 31, 2025, shows that weaknesses in planning, coordination, and evaluation within the Ministry of Tourism and UTB denied the country one of tourism’s most lucrative income streams: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, commonly known as MICE.
“Out of the 45 bids submitted to international conference organisers, 18 representing 40% were dropped, 14 representing 31.1 % were lost, and only 12 representing 26.7% passed,” the report, released last week, notes.
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The financial loss worsened after Uganda failed to host most of the conferences it had technically won, according to the report.
“Of the 12 bids won, only four conferences were successfully hosted in Uganda, while eight representing 67 percent did not take place,” the report says.
As a result, the Auditor General estimates that Uganda lost potential MICE revenue worth $100m or roughly Shs 360 billion. The report notes that this loss went beyond conference registration fees to include spending on hotels, transport, catering, tourism activities, and related services.
MICE tourism is widely regarded as a high-value segment because delegates tend to spend more than leisure tourists and often extend their stay. The Auditor General warns that the missed conferences represented “lost opportunities for foreign exchange earnings, employment creation and private sector growth”.
The audit also links the financial losses to uncompetitive bids and weak follow-up.
“UTB and UCB did not achieve the target of 130 conferences and events from intergovernmental and non-governmental association meetings over the five years,” the report states.
International conference organisers often require guarantees on hotel quality, service standards, and capacity, and the report suggests that these gaps made Uganda a less attractive destination when compared with regional competitors.
The Auditor General further attributes the loss of revenue to weak coordination among government agencies, especially the Ministry of Tourism, UTB, local governments, and professional bodies like the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA).
While acknowledging that there were some improvements in tourist numbers and Uganda’s international visibility, the report cautions that without urgent reforms, the country will continue to lose high-value conference revenue to other countries like Kenya and Rwanda.
The report recommends the development of a comprehensive return on investment framework for MICE activities, stronger coordination in bidding and hosting conferences, and increased investment in tourism standards.
“Without these measures, Uganda risks continued financial losses from missed international conferences,” the report concludes.
