Staff and Equipment
Pinnacle Africa employs over 60 people, both permanent and seasonal staff. Our staff’s work and departments are sub-divided into Tours, Reservations, Car Hire, Events and Conferences, Drivers, while others are in Accounts, Field Logistics, Fleet Management, Sales and Marketing. The Driver-Guides’ department has the highest number of staff. With large operations in the four countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo, Pinnacle Safaris regularly trains its staff to keep up with the ever changing global conditions.
Staff & Department Heads
Francis Kimbowa, (B.TM Hons, Mak); M.A LURD (Mak) – Managing Director and Head of Operations
Francis has an Honours Degree in Tourism from Makerere University, E.Africa, and also a holder of an MA in Land Use and Regional Development Planning. He has over 15 years experience in institutional leadership, tourism management and consultancy. He has also provided effective leadership to two major tourism-related organizations in Uganda and Rwanda, and is a Part-time Lecturer to undergraduate students of Tourism at Makerere University. The man has outstanding sensitization and team-building skills. Francis is the Managing Director and the Head of Operations, a position which enables him to run the day to day activities of the company. As a Lecturer in the oldest and most prestigious university in East and Central Africa south of the Sahara, Francis has contemporary knowledge on the workings of tourism and hospitality and from that position he’s able to recruit the most brilliant and tested members of staff to run this business. He is also an editorial contributor on the Uganda/Rwanda/Congo/Burundi section for herbote.com, a comprehensive source for country information worldwide.
NICHOLAS MUSOKE (B.Com, Mak) – Co-Director and Director of Finance
Nicholas is a Certified Public Accountant, with a degree in Commerce from Makerere University and ACCA.
Formerly, Nicholas worked as Financial Controller DHL Worldwide (Under DHL Global Forwarding U Ltd), a position where he learnt tremendous financial skills and knowledge required of a Finance Director.
Nicholas monitors, manages and reports on the cash position of the organization, manages annual budgets, Insurance, Investments, Tax/Fiscal areas. He is also responsible for giving specialist financial advice and assistance to the management.
Shakirah Kyomugisha (B.TM, Mak) – Country Director – Rwanda and Burundi
From June 2019, Shakirah has been managing our Rwanda operations.
She has a degree in Tourism from Makerere University, East Africa. With her roots in Western Uganda, close to Rwanda, she has specialist knowledge particularly on these two countries. Her specialty is in hospitality and MICE operations, where she is very instrumental in organising high-end tours and MICE operations for our group bookings. She is a passionate person who is committed to changing lives, teachable and love learning, good team player and leader who is capable of pushing for results and helping others reach their full potential. She is now responsible for overall country coordination of all Pinnacle business activities in Rwanda and Burundi. There, she offers guidance, training of staff, and making sure that all clients’ needs and expectations are met.
Thomas Walter – German Marketing
Mr Walter is a German national who has worked with us since 2014. He is the Marketing Director to the German market and has worked in the field of tourism for over 20 years, having special experience in marketing to Western European countries particularity Austria, Germany, Switzerland and later on worked in Dubai for several years before coming to settle down in Uganda. He is now back in Germany where he set up his own marketing company, and Pinnacle Africa is one his major clients. His international marketing skills, as well having settled in Africa for sometime, make Thomas Walter one of the most outstanding and qualified personalities of Pinnacle Africa.
Yoshinori Inamoto – Head of Asia Marketing
Inamoto is a Japanese national from Toyohashi-city, Aichi, Japan. He holds a Degree in Anthropology from the Nanzan University, USA. He is the Marketing Director to the Asian market and has worked in the field of tourism for 4 years now. Prior to that he worked as a Math and Science teacher in Uganda for two years. He stayed in Uganda for two years doing volunteer work under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from where we noticed him. Thus, he obtained special skills in handling African culture and environments, making him gain interesting knowledge in the tourism industry and particularly tourism in Eastern Africa. His international management skills, as well as knowledge on local peoples have made him a treasured asset to this Company.
George Mudahunga – Congo (DRC) Operations
George was instrumental in helping us open up our Congo DRC operations way back in 2005. Behind that understated face lie over 20 years experience in tourism logistics, particularly organising tourist groups to Congo DRC, Rwanda and South Western Uganda. A very dependable and reliable person, Mr Mudahunga a measured determination, zeal and dedication. With a permanent residence in Kisoro, bordering Rwanda, and Congo, from that good location he helps coordinate our work in South Western Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, and part of Burundi. Special interest activities include; organising trekking to lowland Gorillas in the Congo, mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, chimpanzee tours in Congo and Rwanda, Nyiragongo volcano visit, and cultural safaris across the region, including community support projects to these countries, particularly to the Batwa pygmy communities in South Western Uganda and the Virungas.
Moses Swaibu Sentongo – Africa Logistics Manager
Moses joined Pinnacle Africa first as a tourist guide, from there he rose through the ranks to become Head of Drivers and later on became the Fleet Manager.
With an eye for perfection, he proved himself as an outstanding logistics officer, from where he was appointed Africa Logistics Manager, responsible for overall management of our logistics operations, particularly Field camp management, heavy equipment coordination, power supply, janitorial and laundry services, Transport services, malaria and vector control services, fire safety, water supply and treatment, camp waste management and handling and generally supply chain logistics.
Under him are many logistics staff in various African countries, some in French speaking nations but somehow he manages to get things done.
West African Logistics Support Team
Chenny Rachel was the first person to work with us, having played a crucial role in setting up our Cameroon operations in the Winter of 2014 in Douala. Chenny has a degree in Social Administration from the Cameroon University of Beau.
She also speaks fluent English and French, knowledge of which we ardently need here. Her sense of hospitality is second to none, and is always ready to meet and help with logistical work in that part of the world.
Asi Stanley Asi started working with us in the summer of 2015. he has since established himself as a dependable and professional part of our Team in Western Africa.
Stanley manages our heavy equipment in Doula, Cameroon particularly generators and other equipment. He is helpful in setting up camps, including Doala, Limbe, and is well knowledgeable in other parts of the country, such as Yaounde. Together with Chenny, they enable our Cameroon operations run smoothly with much less hassle.
Aziz Halidou has the honor of being the first person, outside East Africa, to successfully coordinate and manage a logistics project. This was in June 2013, in Oallam, Niger and that was our very first logistics project with the US Government on the African continent.
Aziz has a degree in Anthropology from Niamey, Niger and has a commanding knowledge of both French and English, both languages we have certainly needed to operate successfully in this part of the world. With a very high sense of integrity and hospitality, Aziz is always ready to help whenever called upon, a factor that has made him one of the most trusted and dependable part of our North Africa Team.
Innocent Kongo started working with us at the beginning of 2015, when we set up N’Djamena, Chad base for the Flintlock15 exercise. Flintlock is U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)’s premier and largest annual Special Operations Forces exercise. It involves Antiterrorism Assistance training to law enforcement officers from up to 40 African partner countries, eight European countries, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. It focuses on partnership, cooperation, and counter terrorism efforts.
Innocent Kongo, a former Employee Relations Officer at Kempski Hotels, joined Pinnacle Africa in March 2015. He is very fluent in French and English, and is highly dependable member of our team, especially in the electrical and heavy equipment part of our logistical work in Chad and Niger.
Adrian Ddungu – Head of Guides and Transportation Department
Adrian Ddungu holds a Bachelors Degree in Community Based Rehabilitation from Kyambogo University (Kampala, Uganda) and is the head of the Guides and Transportation department. He has worked in the Tourism industry for 10 years time and has received many Awards for his outstanding work to the Industry in East Africa. He was trained in Bird Guiding and Safari Guiding with experience in the East and Western African Regions.
John B. Kabandize – Legal Counsel
John B. Kabandize holds an LL.B (Honours) Degree from Makerere University. He successfully completed the Post – Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre in January 2000. John has undertaken an LLM Degree Course at Makerere University mainly consisting of Environmental Law and Commercial Law subjects and is currently doing a Research Paper on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Investments in Uganda, as a requirement for the award of the LLM Degree. He is in private legal practice and is a partner in BKA & Co. Advocates. He is currently admitted to practise law as an Advocate, a Commissioner for Oaths and a Notary Public in Uganda. He is a member of both the Uganda Law Society and the East African Law Society. He specialises in Commercial Law, Land Transactions and Environment and Natural Resources laws including investment legal advisory services, contracts negotiation and settlements. John has acted for and advised various international and domestic clients in commercial law transactions. In addition, John has experience and practices environmental and natural resources law and has acted as Legal Consultant and Researcher in major consulting assignments undertaken by the Firm and more especially in the areas of environmental and natural resources laws.
Please contact us for details of our Equipment and vehicles.