Kassim Omar, the chairperson of the East African Business Council (EABC), has died aged 56.

The Ugandan businessman died on Tuesday at the Nakasero hospital in Kampala where he was undergoing treatment.

Mr Omar had been elected to chair the region's trade lobby, EABC, in June this year.

He was also the chairman of the Uganda Clearing Industry and Forwarding Association.

Olive Kigongo, the president of the Uganda Chamber of Commerce, whom Mr Omar had deputised for five years, said he had been struggling with heart problems for some years.

Ms Kigongo described Mr Omar as being passionate about ease of doing business in East Africa.

She said his death was a big blow to the business lobby in East Africa.

During his short tenure as EABC chairperson, Mr Omar had vowed to push for the adoption and implementation of local content policy, as a way to help businesses benefit from a number of big infrastructure projects being carried out by the regional governments.

He was buried on Wednesday.