UGANDA
CARBOON
BAREAU

The Bureau’s Experience

The Uganda Carbon Bureau was registered in April 2006 and is the only full-service carbon finance company in East Africa.

The Bureau provides support to project developers, carbon credit buyers, development agencies, financiers, and the public with all aspects of project funding and carbon asset development in both voluntary and compliance carbon markets. Our services include:

Corporate Off-Setting
Carbon Project Management
Information and Publications

The Bureau is involved in a wide range of projects across renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry, and related fields involving emissions reductions or carbon sequestration. We have built strong relationships with national and international organisations, including carbon brokers, consultancy firms, large NGOs, government ministries, and all major donors in East Africa.

The Uganda Carbon Bureau Team

Bill Farmer

Chairman

Bill began his work in Africa with roles in Zambia, Swaziland, Cameroon, and South Sudan before settling in Uganda 18 years ago. He led the forest sector reform at the Ministry of Water, Lands & Environment, then served as an EU adviser to the Private Sector Foundation Uganda and UWA. In 2001, he launched Uganda’s first smallholder carbon project with CARE. To expand carbon finance access, he founded the Bureau in 2006.

Georg Zenk

Georg Zenk - CDM Consultant

Georg Zenk is a CDM renewable energy expert with a background in natural sciences and environmental consultancy. Before joining the Bureau, he validated CDM projects at TÜV SÜD. Supported by GTZ|CIM, he spent over three years with UCB, contributing to energy projects including renewables, fuel switching, and cookstoves. He now supports the Bureau as an independent consultant.

Ruth Muheirwe

Finance & Administration Manager

At UCB, Ruth manages administration and finances across our companies. She oversees donor-supported activities, the Ignition Fund for ICSEA PoA applicants, and ensures smooth day-to-day operations.

Ruth Komuntale

Legal Advisor

Ruth is a qualified lawyer with a varied career in legal and management roles that make her a valuable asset providing in-house legal advisory services to all our activities. She has updated the legal templates that were drafted by our earlier legal consultants, Baker & McKenzie and Perspectives.

Charlie Langan

Forestry Carbon Consultant

Charlie joined the Bureau after earning an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh, focusing on forest carbon and ecosystem services. Originally trained in physics, he previously worked with the World Agroforestry Centre in Sumatra. His research explores mangrove land use, GHG emissions, and landscape approaches to ecosystem management.

Jenny Farmer

Senior Forestry Specialist

Jenny co-founded the Bureau in 2006, leading forestry and the Going Neutral programme. After a PhD on peatland emissions at the University of Aberdeen, she returned to Uganda in 2013 to research land use change and now studies wetland methane emissions under the MOYA project. She supports CAFEA’s research pro bono and mentors MSc students.

Carbon Offsetting- Going Neutral

The 'Going Neutral' Service

The Bureau offers a practical carbon neutrality service for organisations in Uganda. We help measure emissions, recommend reduction strategies, and offset unavoidable emissions through carbon credits from the Trees for Global Benefits project, supporting both climate action and rural livelihoods

Benefits of 'Going Neutral'

Save Money – Cut energy use and reduce operating costs.
Improve Reputation – Show environmental responsibility and attract partners.
Better Work Environment – Greener practices motivate staff and improve morale.
Cut Emissions – Directly fight climate change.
Support Communities – Fund tree planting and rural development.

How it Works

We start with a free basic emissions assessment. If you join the programme, we carry out a full audit with reduction strategies and offset options tailored to your organisation.

‘Going Neutral’ Testaments

Kampala Aeroclub and Flight Training Centre (KAFTC)

In 2012, KAFTC became Africa’s first fully carbon-neutral aviation company, covering emissions from aircraft, vehicles, and ground operations.

Classic Africa Safaris

Became carbon neutral in 2009—the first tour company in Uganda and Rwanda to do so. Their commitment covers transport, flights, office operations, and staff commutes.

Danish Embassy, Kampala d Flight Training Centre (KAFTC)

Achieved carbon neutrality in 2010 through a 5-year agreement with the Bureau. As the first diplomatic mission in Uganda to go carbon neutral, it has inspired others in the diplomatic community.

Wild Frontiers Uganda

Offset emissions from its safaris and boat operations in 2011. Director Jane Goldring emphasized reducing energy use and offsetting unavoidable emissions through Plan Vivo credits.

ALREP & KALIP (Office of the Prime Minister, EU-funded)

These livelihoods programmes in Northern Uganda and Karamoja went carbon neutral, highlighting climate action in vulnerable regions.

Semliki Rift Trading Company

Offers customers a voluntary carbon offset option for transport-related emissions. This logistics company is leading the way in sustainable transport services.

The Bureau’s Partners

Development Partners

Carbon Project Management

Carbon Project Support

The Bureau offers comprehensive support for projects developing and selling carbon credits in the voluntary and CDM markets. Initial consultations are free, with competitive rates for ongoing assistance. With one of Africa’s largest and most experienced teams, the Bureau combines deep local knowledge with international partnerships to offer affordable, professional support.

Our East Africa base means low overheads and frequent in-person support, unlike international firms. We remain fully independent—never acting as carbon credit buyers—ensuring our focus stays on clients’ best interests. Our goal is to maximize the carbon revenue reaching those who generate real emission reductions.

ICSEA – Improved Cook Stoves for East Africa

The ICSEA PoA enables stove suppliers across East Africa to access the CDM carbon market. These energy-efficient stoves reduce the use of non-renewable biomass and help create a strong, affordable market for cleaner cooking solutions.

Open to local producers, distributors, importers, and NGOs, ICSEA helps projects earn the most carbon finance with minimal cost and delay. All participants retain 100% of their carbon credits. Registered in 2012, ICSEA Ltd supports—but does not buy or broker—carbon credit sales.

Carbon Foundation of East Africa

Formed by the Uganda Carbon Bureau in 2010, CAFEA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides pro bono information, training, and support on climate change and carbon markets across East Africa. Uganda, as a least developed country, is highly vulnerable to climate change. CAFEA works to raise public awareness, promote participation in climate action, and support practical, local solutions such as biogas and energy-efficient cookstoves—especially those improving the lives of women. Its mission is to build understanding and capacity for both mitigation and adaptation at all levels, from communities to government.

Climate Sense

Produced by CAFEA, Climate Sense is a unique East African news-sheet raising awareness about climate change and practical responses in Uganda. It features clear, Uganda-specific content on adaptation and mitigation, covering topics like water, cookstoves, forestry, and pollution, while also addressing cross-cutting issues like gender, health, and HIV.

Distributed as a simple A3 fold-out newspaper, it targets schools and rural local governments—communities already feeling the effects of climate change. The goal is to inform, inspire, and scale up local innovations by showcasing best practices and projects already underway across the country.

Climate Research

ALTER is a 3-year research project in Uganda and Ethiopia exploring how tackling soil degradation in wetlands can reduce poverty and greenhouse gas emissions. Wetland land use change in Uganda significantly contributes to emissions and threatens local livelihoods by reducing access to fishing, water, and other ecosystem services.

Led by the James Hutton Institute (UK), with partners including University of Aberdeen, Hawassa University, Southern Agricultural Research Institute (Ethiopia), and CGIAR’s International Water Management Institute, the project brings together natural and social scientists, economists, and community stakeholders. In Uganda, CAFEA is the local partner.

The project aims to understand how communities benefit from healthy soils, what incentives and challenges they face in improving soil conditions, and how effective soil management can deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits.