Nobody applauds when a tax portal loads. Yet when it fails, businesses stop filing, customs processes stall and government revenue collection comes under pressure.
At the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), the technology infrastructure behind tax administration and international trade must work reliably, often without attracting attention. For Brian Newton Ajuna, Assistant Commissioner for Infrastructure and Operations, that is the responsibility at the centre of his work. He oversees the systems that support domestic revenue collection and international trade, helping ensure critical digital services remain available, secure and capable of handling growing transaction volumes.
An ICT executive and institutional leader with more than 17 years of experience, Ajuna has built his career across software engineering, database management, digital transformation, technology strategy, infrastructure and operations, enterprise systems and ICT governance. His professional journey has progressed from technical roles into management and executive leadership, giving him an understanding of technology from both its engineering foundations and its institutional applications.
His work reflects an increasingly important reality: technology is no longer simply a support function within public institutions. It is part of the infrastructure that enables economic activity, protects institutional continuity and sustains public confidence.
From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership
Ajuna’s approach to leadership is rooted in an understanding of how technology works beneath the surface. His early experience in software development and database administration exposed him to the architecture of enterprise systems, the movement of data between platforms and the vulnerabilities that can emerge when systems are poorly integrated.
As he progressed into managerial and executive responsibilities, this technical grounding became an important part of his leadership approach. Decisions about infrastructure, cybersecurity and disaster recovery also involve questions of investment, operational risk and long-term institutional sustainability.
His experience allows him to connect these dimensions, assessing not only whether a technology solution works but also whether it addresses an institution’s needs, can be maintained over time and supports its wider objectives.
This combination of technical understanding and executive oversight has shaped his responsibilities at URA, where digital systems must accommodate growing transaction volumes while supporting the authority’s mandate in domestic revenue collection and international trade.
Engineering Continuity in Revenue Administration
Revenue authorities operate in an environment where technology failures can quickly become operational problems. Taxpayers depend on digital platforms, businesses require predictable customs processes, and financial institutions must maintain dependable connections with revenue systems.
Ajuna’s responsibilities include strengthening the infrastructure that supports these interconnected functions. Working with multidisciplinary teams of systems engineers, network architects, cybersecurity specialists and service delivery professionals, he has overseen infrastructure modernisation, system migrations and improvements in high availability and disaster recovery.
The direction has been towards an integrated, scalable hybrid-cloud environment designed to support substantial data volumes while reducing the risk of service interruptions.
The significance of this work extends beyond servers and networks. Reliable infrastructure helps sustain the continuity of services on which businesses and public institutions depend. When systems remain available, transactions can proceed, digital services remain accessible and disruptions to essential operations can be reduced.
This is the less visible dimension of digital transformation: ensuring that innovation does not come at the expense of reliability.
The Business Case for Better Technology Decisions
Ajuna’s perspective also extends to the economics of technology ownership. For many organisations, purchasing technology is easier to budget for than maintaining it. Hardware, software licences and data-centre investments often receive executive approval, while the continuing costs of security, cooling, maintenance, integration and specialised personnel receive less attention.
His approach places technology investment within the wider discipline of financial management. Organisations need to consider the full cost of ownership rather than focusing exclusively on acquisition prices or the immediate appeal of new systems.
As a Project Management Professional (PMP) and ITIL-certified practitioner, Ajuna advocates stronger governance, structured service management and rigorous vendor performance assessments. He also recognises the importance of preserving flexibility, interoperability and operational continuity while avoiding excessive dependence on individual technology suppliers.
His academic qualifications include a Master of Science in Information Systems from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Information Technology and Computing from Kyambogo University.
For African institutions, technology decisions must also reflect local operating realities, including connectivity limitations, power reliability, cybersecurity exposure and the availability of specialised technical talent. These considerations influence not only the systems organisations acquire but also their ability to sustain them.
Why Technology Belongs in the Boardroom
Beyond operational delivery, Ajuna has a particular interest in strengthening technology governance at board level.
In many organisations, technology remains largely the responsibility of technical departments until a major system failure, cybersecurity incident or expensive transformation project brings it to the attention of directors. This approach overlooks technology’s growing influence on enterprise risk, financial performance, regulatory compliance, competitiveness and institutional reputation.
Effective board oversight therefore requires a stronger understanding of the digital infrastructure on which organisations depend.
Ajuna’s approach to technology governance centres on three priorities: cyber resilience and enterprise risk; capital efficiency and technology governance; and data sovereignty and enterprise architecture.
Directors need to understand their organisations’ exposure to cyber threats, operational disruptions and vulnerabilities within third-party technology arrangements. They must also scrutinise major technology investments for their long-term costs, implementation requirements and measurable institutional value.
Equally important is ensuring that digital platforms remain secure, interoperable and adaptable to evolving regulatory requirements, particularly as cross-border transactions become more common.
For Ajuna, technology oversight is ultimately an institutional responsibility. Its implications extend beyond the IT department into the broader questions of organisational resilience, accountability and long-term performance.
The People Behind the Infrastructure
Despite his technical specialisation, Ajuna recognises that infrastructure ultimately depends on the people responsible for operating and maintaining it.
African institutions face considerable competition for experienced engineers and technology professionals. Retaining this expertise requires more than sophisticated equipment. It demands clear responsibilities, professional development, accountability and an environment in which technical teams can take ownership of operational outcomes.
Ajuna’s leadership approach places emphasis on empowerment and professional development. He has mentored systems engineers, database administrators and network specialists, encouraging them to understand not only their technical responsibilities but also the institutional significance of their work.
This reflects an understanding that technology investments cannot deliver their full value without capable people to manage them. The effectiveness of an organisation’s infrastructure depends on the knowledge, discipline and commitment of the teams responsible for maintaining it.
Preparing for a More Connected Region
As East African economies deepen their integration, the demands on digital infrastructure are expected to grow. Cross-border paperless trade, interconnected payment systems and real-time information exchange will require dependable platforms supported by strong cybersecurity, data management and interoperability.
For revenue authorities, these developments will place additional pressure on the systems connecting national institutions, businesses and financial networks.
Ajuna’s experience in enterprise infrastructure and public-sector technology management places these challenges within a broader understanding of technology as both an institutional priority and an economic foundation. His career brings together technical expertise, executive leadership and an appreciation of how infrastructure investment intersects with governance and national economic objectives.
At URA, much of his work is measured by what does not happen: the system that does not crash, the transaction that does not stall and the customs process that continues without interruption.
It may not be the most visible form of leadership. But in an institution responsible for safeguarding the systems that underpin national revenue collection, reliability is not simply a technical achievement. It is part of the institutional capacity on which businesses, government and the wider economy depend.
