IRA QUALIFICATIONS STORM! Whistleblower Drags Legal Director Francesca Kakooza To IGG Over Master’s Degree Row As Kadunabbi-Era Recruitment Comes Under Fresh Fire
Kakooza was recruited during the tenure of former IRA Chief Executive Officer Alhaj Kaddunabbi, and the whistleblower wants the IGG to examine the circumstances surrounding her appointment.
KAMPALA – A storm is brewing at the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) over the recruitment and continued tenure of Director Legal/Secretary to the Authority, Francesca Kakooza, after a whistleblower petitioned the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to investigate her appointment over alleged failure to meet mandatory academic qualifications.
The anonymous complainant wants the IGG to establish how Kakooza secured the powerful position in 2020, arguing that she allegedly did not possess one of the key qualifications expressly required in IRA’s recruitment advertisement.
At the centre of the complaint is a Master’s Degree in Law, which the whistleblower claims Kakooza did not possess when she was appointed and has allegedly not acquired since.
The complaint, dated October 29, 2026, raises questions about the integrity of the recruitment process, consistency in enforcing academic standards and accountability at the insurance sector regulator.
The petition comes against the backdrop of a reported academic qualifications verification exercise at IRA that allegedly resulted in five employees losing their jobs over concerns involving their academic credentials, including alleged forged documents and failure to meet prescribed job requirements.
The whistleblower now wants investigators to establish why employees were reportedly dismissed over qualification discrepancies while a senior official faces allegations of not meeting a mandatory academic requirement. The complaint also raises questions about a possible renewal of Kakooza’s contract.
THE MASTER’S DEGREE QUESTION
Documents accompanying the complaint include IRA’s job advertisement published in New Vision on Monday, August 10, 2020, and the Authority’s job specifications published on August 7, 2020.
The advertisement invited applications for one position of Director Legal/Secretary to the Authority under the Legal Directorate, at salary scale IRA 2.
Among the listed mandatory academic qualifications were a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), at least a Master’s Degree in Law, a Diploma in Legal Practice and a valid practising certificate.
Applicants were also required to possess professional qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), or equivalent professional qualifications. A professional qualification in insurance was listed as an added advantage.
The position further required at least nine years of managerial experience, including six years at managerial level, as well as experience in Board affairs management.
The Director Legal/Secretary is a critical office within IRA, with responsibilities that include providing legal and compliance guidance, managing Board affairs and ensuring that the Authority operates within the law.
The advertised duties included preparing Board and committee meetings, taking minutes, following up on resolutions, maintaining Board records, providing legal counsel and representing the Authority in courts of law.
The office also oversees the Legal Directorate, statutory compliance and other key regulatory functions.
The whistleblower argues that the Master’s Degree requirement was mandatory and should have been applied equally to every candidate who sought the position.
KADUNABBI-ERA RECRUITMENT UNDER SCRUTINY
Kakooza was recruited during the tenure of former IRA Chief Executive Officer Alhaj Kaddunabbi, and the whistleblower wants the IGG to examine the circumstances surrounding her appointment.
The complaint also raises questions about another candidate who reportedly applied for the same position in 2020.
According to the whistleblower, the then Head of Legal at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) was among the applicants and allegedly possessed the qualifications listed in the advertisement but was not selected.
The complainant questions how Kakooza emerged as the successful candidate despite the allegation that she did not possess the required Master’s Degree in Law.
The whistleblower wants investigators to scrutinise the entire selection process, including the qualifications of shortlisted candidates, the assessment criteria and the reasons behind the final appointment.
Red Pepper has not independently established the academic qualifications Kakooza held at the time of recruitment or the full circumstances surrounding the selection process.
FIVE STAFF FIRED, NOW DOUBLE-STANDARDS QUESTIONS
The complaint has also brought renewed attention to IRA’s reported academic qualifications verification exercise, which allegedly resulted in five employees being dismissed.
According to sources, those affected included Steven Kaddu, who was serving as Manager Inspections, three drivers and a Finance Officer in charge of receivables.
The exercise was reportedly undertaken to establish whether employees possessed genuine academic credentials and met the minimum qualifications prescribed for their respective positions.
Information available to Red Pepper indicates that the verification process flagged concerns ranging from alleged forged academic documents to failure by some employees to satisfy the academic requirements for their jobs.
The dismissals have drawn attention to recruitment processes conducted during Kaddunabbi’s tenure, under whose leadership the affected employees were reportedly recruited.
The whistleblower argues that an institution enforcing strict academic standards against its employees should demonstrate the same commitment when dealing with senior management.
The complainant wants the IGG to establish whether the same qualification standards applied to the five employees were observed during Kakooza’s recruitment.
The petition also raises concerns about a possible renewal of Kakooza’s contract, questioning whether any such decision would comply with the original recruitment requirements and applicable employment procedures.
The whistleblower wants investigators to establish whether her contract has been renewed or whether a renewal is being considered and, if so, whether the process meets the relevant requirements.
IGG ASKED TO DIG INTO RECRUITMENT FILES
The whistleblower has asked the IGG to obtain the original 2020 job advertisement and approved job specifications, verify Kakooza’s academic qualifications against the requirements in force at the time of recruitment and examine the records of the selection process.
Investigators are also being asked to establish whether her appointment complied with the prescribed requirements and whether any subsequent contract renewal followed the applicable procedures.
The complaint further calls for the IGG to establish the responsibility of any officials who may have approved an appointment contrary to mandatory recruitment requirements.
The whistleblower argues that should investigations establish that the appointment breached the applicable qualifications, appropriate corrective action should follow.
This could include action by the competent appointing authority to set aside the appointment and prosecution of any individuals found to have committed offences, where warranted by law.
The complainant also wants any resulting vacancy filled through a transparent, lawful and merit-based recruitment process.
The Office of the Auditor General and IRA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer have also been notified of the concerns.
IRA SILENCE
Red Pepper contacted Kakooza, the IRA Acting Executive Director, the Authority’s Human Resource Officer and Mariam Nalunkuuma, Head of Corporate Affairs, seeking clarification on the allegations.
However, two weeks after our inquiries, the officials had not provided substantive responses by the time of publication.
Kakooza briefly picked up one of our calls, saying she was rushing into a meeting. She promised to call back but had not done so by press time.
Nalunkuuma acknowledged receiving our inquiry but said she had referred the matter to the Acting Executive Director, whom she considered the appropriate person to respond. She advised Red Pepper to contact him directly.
Despite repeated attempts, the Acting Executive Director had not responded to our calls.
The officials were asked to clarify Kakooza’s academic qualifications at the time of recruitment, the circumstances surrounding her appointment, the reported qualifications verification exercise that allegedly resulted in five dismissals and concerns about a possible contract renewal.
Red Pepper will publish their responses once received.
The allegations remain subject to independent verification, and Kakooza and the Authority have been given an opportunity to respond to the concerns raised.
For now, the central question facing the insurance regulator is whether the academic qualifications advertised for its top legal office were observed during recruitment—and whether the same standards are being applied consistently across the institution.
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