Raising Capital in the Ugandan Market: the Legal Status of Private Placements Under the Securities Law Regime

Every business needs cash infusion in order to jumpstart sales, expand into new markets, or continue to sustain growth. While there are multitudes of funding options available to companies, private placement as a mode of raising capital is attractive to small businesses as there are no registration requirements and the costs involved in this mode are much lower as compared to raising capital under an IPO (Initial Public Offering). Although private placements is one of the major avenues used by companies all over the world to raise finance, the future of private placements as a mode of raising capital is uncertain under Ugandan law given the 2007 decision in the case of Kampala Football Club vs. Capital Markets Authority. The book is intended to fill in the information gap on the awareness levels about private placements in Uganda. The study highlights the importance of raising capital especially through private placements, the legal status of private placements in Uganda and the challenges faced by business entities in raising capital using this mechanism. The book thus provides an overview of private placements as a mode of raising capital.