Ugandan businessman and former Olympian William Frederick Blick has taken Samanga Solutions Ltd. to court, seeking to recover Shs 216.8 million ($57,000) in unpaid commission he claims arose from a 2017 marketing deal tied to a Uganda Police Force supply contract.
According to filings before the Commercial Division of the High Court, Blick alleges that Samanga engaged him to market its communication equipment to government security agencies and that his efforts directly led to the company winning a police procurement contract worth Shs 2.16 billion.
“The parties executed a commission agreement on June 6, 2017, under which I was entitled to 10% of payments made by the Uganda Police Force,” Blick said in an affidavit.
“I fulfilled my obligations by introducing the company’s products, arranging meetings, and facilitating procurement processes. Samanga later received payment but failed to remit my commission despite repeated demands.”
Company Denies Liability
Samanga Solutions, represented by Counsel Blair Kalivayo of Orima & Co. Advocates, denies the claim, insisting that no valid commission agreement was ever signed.
“The alleged contract is a forgery,” said Gloria Kairaba, a company manager, in court documents.
“Mr. Blick’s marketing efforts were unsuccessful, and the company independently secured the Uganda Police contract through a competitive bidding process long after his involvement ended.”
Kairaba added that the company was “surprised” to receive a demand notice from Blick’s lawyers in 2021, claiming entitlement to 10% of proceeds.
Samanga maintains that the claim has no legal basis and that it possesses a “bona fide defence” and a potential counterclaim based on fraud.
In a ruling delivered on October 15, 2025, Justice Susan Abinyo granted Samanga unconditional leave to appear and defend the main suit.
She held that the dispute over whether a commission agreement was genuinely executed “raises serious triable issues of fact and law” that warrant a full trial.
“The question of whether the parties executed the commission agreement dated June 6, 2017, is a matter that must be investigated by the court,” Justice Abinyo said. She added that the company’s counterclaim alleging fraud “poses reasonable grounds for a bona fide defence.”
The judge directed Samanga to file its defence within 10 days, with costs to be determined at the conclusion of the case.
Friction
Blick, a former president of the Uganda Olympic Committee, has in recent years expanded into consultancy and government contracting.
The case underscores the growing friction in Uganda’s procurement ecosystem, where business agents often claim commissions for facilitating deals between private firms and public institutions.
The main case—Civil Suit No. 922 of 2024—will now proceed to full hearing, where the court will determine whether Blick’s commission agreement was valid and whether Samanga must pay the disputed sum.
If the court rules in Blick’s favor, the judgment could set a precedent for enforcement of commission-based contracts in Uganda’s corporate and procurement sectors.
Credit: ChimpReports
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