QUALIFICATIONS PURGE! Five IRA Staff Sacked In Academic Papers Crackdown As Ousted CEO Kadunnabbi-Era Recruits Face Scrutiny

KAMPALA – A qualifications storm has rocked the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA), with five employees losing their jobs following an internal verification exercise that reportedly uncovered irregularities in their academic credentials and failure to meet prescribed job requirements.

The affected employees, according to sources include Steven Kaddu, who was serving as Manager Inspections, three drivers and a Finance Officer in charge of receivables.

The dismissals followed an academic qualifications verification exercise conducted by the insurance sector regulator as part of efforts to establish whether staff possess genuine academic credentials and the qualifications required for their respective positions.

According to information available to Red Pepper, the exercise flagged concerns ranging from alleged forged academic documents to failure by some employees to satisfy the minimum academic requirements for their jobs.

The purge has drawn attention to the recruitment processes that took place during the tenure of former IRA Chief Executive Officer Alhaj Kaddunabbi, under whose leadership the affected employees were reportedly recruited.

This raises questions about the recruitment and vetting procedures applied during that period and whether the qualifications of employees were adequately scrutinised before they were appointed.

Kaddu’s exit is particularly significant given his position as Manager Inspections, a role within an institution responsible for regulating and supervising Uganda’s insurance industry.

The dismissal of a Finance Officer responsible for receivables, alongside three drivers, further demonstrates the breadth of the exercise, which appears to have cut across different departments and job categories.

The development puts academic credentials and recruitment accountability at the centre of renewed scrutiny at the insurance regulator.

The specific circumstances surrounding each employee’s dismissal, including the nature of the alleged irregularities will be in our subsequent publication.

Red Pepper has also contacted IRA management for more details of the verification findings, the recruitment records from the Kaddunabbi era and the measures being taken to strengthen staff recruitment and qualifications verification.