Doris Akol

Senior Economist- IMF, Global Revenue Administration Advisor, Career Public Administrator, Corporate Governance Fellow & Public Policy Expert, Senior Advocate

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@Jonekyoma They handled

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@patmukiibi And You would be the best fit for that assignment! Tried, tested, experienced and armed with robust institutional memory.

[Patrick Mukiibi @patmukiibi]

https://t.co/Zt7mLJtutY

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@PAU_Uganda @SsekatawaAli Our man @SsekatawaAli kudos!!! #teamnsanafu

[Centre for Tax Literacy- Uganda @taxliteracyug]

Women Shaping Uganda's Tax Ecosystem
Doris Akol — Former Commissioner General, Uganda Revenue Authority-(URA)

@DDorisAkol is a Ugandan tax lawyer and revenue administration expert whose career spans nearly three decades in tax law, governance, and public finance. She began her professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) in 1995 as a Legal Officer. Over the years, she rose through the institution’s ranks, eventually serving as Commissioner for Legal Services and Board Secretary before being appointed Commissioner General in November 2014.

During her years in URA’s legal department, Akol played an important role in strengthening the authority’s legal capacity and defending the government’s tax interests in complex litigation. Her legal expertise contributed to landmark tax disputes involving multinational oil companies such as Heritage and Tullow, cases through which Uganda secured significant capital gains tax revenues and reinforced the principle that international investors operating in Uganda must comply with the country’s tax laws.

As Commissioner General from 2014 to 2020, Akol focused on expanding the tax base, strengthening compliance systems, and improving the efficiency of revenue administration. Under her leadership, Uganda’s domestic tax revenue grew by more than 83 percent—from approximately UGX 9.9 trillion in FY2014/15 to UGX 16.6 trillion by FY2018/19—while URA cumulatively collected about UGX 65 trillion during her tenure. Over the same period, the national taxpayer register nearly doubled, increasing from about 763,000 taxpayers to more than 1.48 million.
She championed reforms aimed at widening the tax base and strengthening compliance, including initiatives such as the Tax Registration Expansion Programme (TREP) and the block management system, which improved taxpayer identification by physically mapping businesses across the country. These efforts helped bring more informal enterprises into the tax system and strengthened domestic revenue mobilisation.

Beyond revenue performance, Akol oversaw important institutional modernization efforts within URA, including strengthening corporate governance structures, advancing digital tax administration reforms, and completing the authority’s permanent headquarters—the iconic 22-storey URA Towers in Nakawa—which consolidated URA operations and reduced government expenditure on office rentals.

Following her tenure at URA, Akol transitioned into international and private-sector roles. She joined Dentons Uganda (Kyagaba & Otatiina Advocates) as a Partner in the firm’s tax and public sector practice, advising on tax policy, revenue administration, and regulatory engagements. She later joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where she currently serves as a Senior Economist in the Fiscal Affairs Department in Washington, DC, supporting technical assistance programmes and medium-term revenue reform initiatives aimed at strengthening tax capacity in developing economies.

Akol is also a Chartered Secretary and Governance Professional, an Advocate of the Courts of Judicature in Uganda, and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. Her work continues to focus on tax administration reform, governance, and public policy advisory.

As we commemorate International Women’s Day and Month, Doris Akol stands out as one of the key architects of Uganda’s modern tax administration—combining legal expertise, institutional leadership, and policy influence to expand domestic revenue mobilisation and strengthen the rule of law in taxation.

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@taxliteracyug Thank you!

[Paul Isaac Musasizi @PIMusasizi]

@taxliteracyug @UGCommonwealth @DDorisAkol #Phenomenals Charging Forward

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@KAAdvocates Congratulations Dr Kambona. Impressive indeed.@KAAdvocates @DavidBakibinga

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@RKirunda @rggoobi @mofpedU IMO, this should have been negos for a bilateral investment treaty, perhaps as a precursor to a DTAA. The imbalance of investment and trade between UG and France will possibly only lead to base erosion at Ug's expense.

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@CEOEastAfrica An excellent analysis

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@SMChelangat @EYnews @EY_Africa @GeoffreyByamugi @MaleMosesSyza Congratulations Sarah. Cream always rises to claim it's place. All the best!

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@SilverKayondo @grok Watch out, xx check for hallucinations.

[Jennifer S Musisi @JenniferMusisi]

The #PrizeforCities is back – and this year, it’s all about catalyzing healthy cities! 

If your work is driving urban well-being and resilience, now is the time to apply. Let’s showcase the best urban transformations!  

🔗 Apply today: https://t.co/iGXpIGUM9V

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

https://t.co/GSd5U84ZW7

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@LEAD_EA Excellent choice. Congratulations Trevor!

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@NodeGroupOnline @irumanyika Happy Birthday King Solomon @irumanyika . Wangaala nga #tax.

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@RugyendoQuotes @JenniferMusisi @Allen_Kagina “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players” William Shakespeare. @SsekatawaAli

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@RugyendoQuotes It's an honor to have served our beloved xtry at the level, and in the way we did. The combined impact of our public service 2 #Uganda is positively etched in history and indelible. There's space 4 thoz after us to do as much. #Gratitude @JenniferMusisi @Allen_Kagina

[Doris Akol @DDorisAkol]

@ICTDTax @ZambiaRevenue @milly_nalukwago @uonbi @digitaltax @TaxReform Data exchange frameworks using Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) are a critical building block in moving our tax systems towards achieving Tax Administration 3.0 maturity. #smart #taxadministration #digitax

[International Centre for Tax and Development @ICTDTax]

Moderated by @DDorisAkol (ICTD), panellists Eliya Lungu (@ZambiaRevenue), @milly_nalukwago (Central Bank of Uganda), & Layla Latif (@uonbi) underscored the importance of inter-institutional data-sharing in strengthening tax administrations.

#TaxTwitter @DigitalTax @TaxReform