URSB Registrar General, four bosses sent on leave amid corruption probe

KAMPALA — Five senior officials at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), including Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, have been sent on mandatory leave as investigations into alleged corruption, financial impropriety and abuse of office gather pace.

The officials were served with letters on Friday, August 14, after forensic auditors had spent several days working from URSB headquarters in Kampala.

Those sent on leave are Kainobwisho; Gilbert Agaba, Commissioner for Business Registration; Walid Kule, Assistant Commissioner for Business Registration; Arthur Kwesiga, Commissioner for ICT; and Alex Anganya, Deputy Registrar General for Finance and Administration.

URSB had not publicly explained the decision by Sunday, with efforts to obtain an official response on the matter ongoing.

People familiar with developments at the Bureau said the action follows growing concerns over governance and management, including deep divisions among senior officials that have affected decision-making.

“The situation became so bad that top officials can’t agree on anything in top management meetings,” a source said.

Another source said senior managers had become embroiled in disputes over jobs, personal rivalries and control of internal budgets.

The mandatory leave is understood to be intended to facilitate investigations and prevent possible interference with the process. It does not, however, constitute a finding of wrongdoing against any of the affected officials.

The investigations are reportedly examining aspects of URSB’s procurement, financial management, information technology projects and business registration processes.

The development comes against the backdrop of allegations raised by Mr Agaba in a July 29 letter challenging disciplinary action taken against him.

In the letter, seen by ChimpReports, Mr Agaba said he had previously raised concerns with management over what he described as serious governance and accountability failures at the Bureau.

Among the issues he cited were alleged inflation of contracts for the development and maintenance of ICT systems, suspected money laundering in connection with the Non-Individual Register project, misappropriation of funds, irregular procurement, fraudulent registrations, weak financial controls and revenue under-collection.

The allegations have not been independently verified.

Mr Agaba further alleged that disciplinary proceedings against him began after he raised the concerns with the Registrar General and questioned whether the process was impartial.

“I have reasonable grounds to believe that the investigations culminating in the impugned warning were neither impartial nor undertaken in good faith,” he said.

He also claimed that the Attorney General had considered some of the issues serious enough to bring them to the attention of President Museveni and the Inspectorate of Government, which he said subsequently opened investigations.

The latest action also comes amid previous scrutiny of URSB by the Inspectorate of Government.

In a September 22, 2025 letter to the Registrar General, Inspector General of Government Beti Kamya asked URSB to respond to allegations of abuse of office, influence peddling and conflict of interest involving then board secretary Caroline Tusingwire Egesa.

The complaint alleged that Ms Egesa facilitated the filing of a purportedly forged board resolution in a dispute involving Nob View Hotel Limited and questioned the Bureau’s handling of a related company application.

The IGG sought an explanation from URSB and requested documents relating to the matter. The allegations were subject to investigation and did not amount to a finding of guilt.

The latest decision places five of the Bureau’s most senior officials away from active duty at a time when URSB faces heightened scrutiny over its internal governance and operations.

URSB plays a central role in Uganda’s business environment, overseeing company and business registration, intellectual property administration, civil registration and other services.

Any disruption or weaknesses in its systems could therefore have wider implications for businesses, investors and members of the public who rely on the Bureau’s services.

URSB and the affected officials had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication. The outcome of the investigations will determine whether the allegations result in disciplinary or other action.