The elderly in Tororo still remember 1972. They remember the silence first. Shops closing early. Metal shutters crashing down in broad daylight. Families packing hurriedly at night. Entire streets were stripped of familiar faces after President Idi Amin ordered Asian traders who had declined to take up Ugandan nationality out of the country. However, a few families stayed behind, and the Tannas were among them.
Nobody knew then that decades later, one of their sons would rise quietly through business, politics and influence, until he reached the Cabinet table itself. Last week, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Sanjay Tanna Uganda’s minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives – one of the country’s most powerful economic offices. On paper, it looks like an ordinary Cabinet appointment. However, Sanjay Tanna, a conventional politician, goes down in history as the first Ugandan of Asian-origin to be appointed minister since Shafic Arain in 1967.
For years, Sanjay moved between the worlds of business, grassroots mobilisation and politics with unusual ease. Traders knew and trusted him. This is how he came to find himself amidst arguments by traders over taxes, over the years.
Early life
Born in 1973, Sanjay grew up in a family deeply tied to commerce. As a teenager studying at Kitante Primary School and later Makerere College School, he reportedly spent school holidays helping to coordinate trade supplies between Kampala and Tororo. Then tragedy struck. In early 2003, his elder brother, Jayprakash Tanna, better known as Jay Tanna, died in a car crash. Responsibility arrived fast and without ceremony. ‘At that point, business stopped being business,’ Sanjay recalls. ‘It became survival. It became a responsibility.’ The family business had dealt mostly in groceries and household goods. But Sanjay expanded into fuel distribution, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, hospitality, telecommunications and regional trade.
Major companies, including Coca-Cola, Nile Breweries, Mukwano and Unilever, took advantage of Sanjay’s distribution network across eastern Uganda. Then came the deal that changed everything. When Uganda’s telecom revolution exploded in 1998, Sanjay secured a major MTN distributorship arrangement that dramatically expanded the family’s commercial reach.
Philanthropy
Soon, the Tanna name carried weight far beyond Tororo. Warehouses multiplied. Distribution networks widened. Jobs emerged. And with wealth came expectation. Sanjay Tanna chose another route. Quiet intervention. Across Tororo, Busoga, Bukedi and Teso, stories about him spread almost accidentally. A child receiving school fees unexpectedly. Electricity extended into neglected villages. Hospital bills settled quietly. Bridges repaired. Medical equipment donated after government systems stalled. In Eastern Uganda, his philanthropy evolved into folklore not because it was loud, but because it was personal.
‘Life should be about sharing what we have,’ Sanjay once said. ‘When we die, we leave everything behind anyway.’
Elected MP
By the time Sanjay formally entered politics in 2006, he was already deeply embedded in Uganda’s political bloodstream. He won the Tororo Municipality parliamentary seat and retained it in 2011. But unlike many politicians, he approached politics the way businessmen do; through negotiation: patiently, strategically, always calculating relationships beneath the surface.
Inside the ruling establishment, Sanjay gradually became someone extremely valuable, a businessman who understood grassroots politics better than many career politicians. He spoke Luganda, Adhola, Lusoga, Kiswahili, Hindi and English fluently. He moved comfortably between boardrooms and trading centres. Between wealthy executives and local communities. Most importantly, traders trusted him because he understood their frustrations personally. He knew the border delays. The transport costs. The tax pressure. The daily unpredictability of doing business in Uganda.
Trusted by traders
Issa Ssekito of the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) says Sanjay has always maintained close ties with traders. ‘We’ve been with him for years and he always advises us,’ Ssekito says. ‘Many times, he has called me after seeing our issues in the news just to offer help. When he talks about policy, he talks from experience because he has been both a businessman and a legislator.’ Ssekito believes traders see hope in Tanna precisely because he understands their struggles from the inside. ‘People can change when they get into office, but what we know right now is that Sanjay is suited for that office,’ he says. ‘He was born here. He has been a trader himself. He has always wanted to help, especially when he was in parliament. The only thing he lacked before was the power to do something about it.’
Ssekito says traders hope Sanjay will rebuild cooperation between the ministry, KACITA, and Kampala Capital City Authority. ‘We want somebody who listens to traders and understands our pain. There are so many unfair tax policies that we keep crying about, but no one listens to us. If he continues the way he has always been, he could do a fantastic job,’ Ssekito says.
NRM mobilisation
Over time, Sanjay’s influence expanded beyond Parliament itself. He became heavily involved in mobilisation structures within the NRM. In 2020, he contested for NRM vice chairperson for Eastern Uganda against Capt. Mike Mukula. However, the loss only served to increase his visibility. Delegates across Uganda suddenly recognised him not merely as a businessman from Tororo, but as a serious political force. Inside government circles, he developed a reputation as a consensus builder capable of connecting elite political messaging to grassroots communities. His role in mobilisation efforts linked to Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba elevated him even further. By then, the pattern had become obvious. Sanjay was moving steadily toward the centre of power. Which brings us to the trade ministry.
New appointment
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives may not appear glamorous, but insiders understand its importance. The ministry controls the bloodstream of the economy: factories, imports, exports, industrialisation, manufacturing policy, regional commerce and investment. And unlike many ministers appointed to technical offices, they barely understand, Sanjay enters this ministry with decades of operational experience. He has been part of the private sector. He understands supply chains, distributor networks, transport bottlenecks, and taxation pressure not academically, but practically. That distinction matters.
At a time when Uganda is pushing aggressively toward regional trade dominance under the African Continental Free Trade Area, supporters believe President Museveni’s appointment reflects growing recognition that Uganda’s economic ambitions now require operators rather than performers.
The business community says trade is not a ministry where failure hides quietly. Manufacturers want protection. Importers want flexibility. Traders want lower taxes. Uganda Revenue Authority wants more taxes. And now Sanjay Tanna sits at the centre of it all. However, only time will tell whether he becomes the trade minister Uganda has been waiting for.