(JUBA) – The first FEAFFA (Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations) Logistics Excellence Awards were launched in Juba, South Sudan, as part of the 7th Global Logistics Convention 2026.
The awards were held in Juba from 25th to 27th August 2026. They recognised individuals, companies and national freight forwarding associations contributing to the development of East Africa’s logistics sector.
The awards support FEAFFA’s mission to promote a professional freight logistics industry for trade facilitation and regional economic growth.
They recognise professional competence, leadership, innovation, institutional contribution and business excellence.
The awards added a new dimension to the annual convention. GLC gives stakeholders a platform to discuss transport, trade and logistics issues. The awards recognised those putting professionalism and service excellence into practice.
They also showed the different contributions needed to build a stronger regional logistics industry.
FEAFFA President Charles Mwebembezi said professional standards are key to strengthening freight forwarding. He described the awards as a shared commitment to a professional, compliant and standards driven sector.
An awards board appointed by the FEAFFA Board managed submissions, assessment and evaluation independently. The board reviewed entries against set criteria and chose the winners. This ensured a fair and impartial process.
The Host Country Logistics Excellence Award recognised outstanding performance in South Sudan. G and L Investment Limited won. National Carrier Logistics was runner up.
G and L Investment was recognised for ten years of operations along the Nimule to Juba corridor, strong local ownership, youth employment and mentorship, and process innovations that improved clearance times.
The Young Professional of the Year Award went to Solomon Kalule of KASO Logistics, Uganda. Jacob Thuch Biar Abraham of Diphthong General Trading Company, South Sudan, was runner up.
At 30, Kalule leads a logistics company serving more than 200 clients. He also runs a youth focused initiative that has reached over 300 young professionals through masterclasses. He represents his peers at regional and international platforms.
The Female Achiever in Logistics Award went to Juliet Kirenga Umutoni of Multilines International. Priscilla Khamati Makokha of Tamati Logistics was first runner up. Ayen Rachel Ajuong of National Carrier was second runner up.
Umutoni’s career spans nearly three decades. She rose from customer service agent to deputy group CEO, led a major logistics transformation and grew her own organisation to about Rwandan francs 2 billion in turnover.
The Best National Freight Forwarders Association in East Africa Award went to the Rwanda Freight Forwarders Association. The Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association was first runner up. The Uganda Freight Forwarders Association was second runner up.
RWAFFA was recognised for graduating more than 2,100 professionals through its certification programme. It also secured three year customs licences for members, held leadership roles on two major trade corridors and maintained two years of clean audited accounts.
The awards also recognised company excellence through the Customs and Freight Logistics Company of the Year categories for large, medium and small enterprises.
The focus on company size acknowledged businesses at different levels of the logistics value chain.
The FEAFFA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to John Mathenge at a gala dinner on 26 August 2026.
Mathenge is a pioneer of the regional freight forwarding profession and founding CEO of KIFWA and FEAFFA.
He is currently Regional Managing Director of Viaservice Limited, which provides container guarantee solutions across East Africa. He was also among the founding architects of the CCFL professional qualification.
The FEAFFA President’s Award went to Charles Kareba, one of the founders of FEAFFA. He has more than 40 years of experience in the regional logistics sector.
Kareba has served on the board of the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Freight Professionals and a member of the British International Freight Association.
His career has taken him from the Port of Mombasa to Dar es Salaam and later to Uganda, where he serves as Chairman of the Uganda Shippers Council.
The recognition of Mathenge and Kareba added a historical dimension to the awards. Other categories celebrated current achievements, emerging professionals and institutional performance. The two presidential awards recognised careers that shaped the region’s logistics institutions and practices.
The categories showed that logistics excellence covers professional competence, leadership, business performance, innovation, representation, experience and developing the next generation.
FEAFFA plans to make the awards a regular part of future Global Logistics Conventions. This will create a consistent platform to recognise excellence in the East African Community’s logistics sector.
FEAFFA Executive Director Elias Baluku said the Federation aims to build a professional freight logistics industry that supports trade facilitation and regional economic growth.
He said FEAFFA intends to add more award categories as the programme grows. He urged those who missed the 2026 opportunity to prepare for the 2027 awards.
He said participation offers greater profiling and individual feedback on areas for improvement.
