RETIREMENT FEAR! Kaddunabbi Runs to Court as IRA Door Closes After 16 Years at the Top
The battle for control of Uganda’s insurance watchdog has exploded into a full-blown courtroom war after outgoing Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) Chief Executive Officer Alhaj Dr. Ibrahim Kaddunabbi Lubega rushed to court in a desperate bid to save his job after the Board and government declined to renew his contract.
But in what appears to be a devastating blow to the veteran regulator’s ambitions, the IRA and its former Board Chairman Dr. Isaac Nkote Nabeta through their lawyers of Denton Advocates, led by Counsel John Musiime, have told the High Court that Kaddunabbi’s case is already dead on arrival because the very contract he is fighting for has expired and a new boss is already in office.
The dramatic showdown marks the climax of a leadership saga that has been quietly brewing behind the walls of one of Uganda’s most powerful regulatory bodies.
After sitting at the apex of Uganda’s insurance industry for a staggering 16 years, Kaddunabbi now finds himself fighting for survival as the institution he led moves on without him.
Court documents filed before the Civil Division of the High Court reveal that the IRA and Dr. Nkote are asking the court to throw out Kaddunabbi’s judicial review application, arguing that there is no longer anything left to preserve.
According to the Authority, Kaddunabbi’s five-year contract officially expired on May 31, 2026, and ceased to exist automatically by operation of law.
Even more significantly, outgoing Finance Minister Matia Kasaija has already appointed Protazio Sande as Acting Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2026.
In simple terms, the Authority is telling court that the train has already left the station.
The regulator says bringing Kaddunabbi back would create chaos by producing two competing CEOs claiming authority over the same institution.
According to affidavits filed by the Authority’s Secretary to the Board, Francesca Kakooza, the Board had already instructed Kaddunabbi to proceed on leave and complete the handover process ahead of the expiry of his contract.
That handover, the Authority says, has since been concluded.
The message from the Board is blunt: the era of Kaddunabbi is over.
Yet the outgoing CEO is refusing to leave quietly.
Kaddunabbi insists that the Board’s decision of February 16, 2026, declining to recommend him for another term was unfair and unlawful.
He argues that he was denied a fair hearing despite what he describes as a strong performance record that should have qualified him for reappointment.
For Kaddunabbi, the case is about more than a contract.
It is about legacy.
Having served as CEO since 2011 and before that leading the Uganda Insurance Commission prior to its transformation into the IRA, Kaddunabbi has been the face of insurance regulation in Uganda for nearly two decades.
He points to growth in insurance premiums, expansion of regional operations, digital reforms and infrastructure development as evidence that he deserves another shot at the top job.
But the Board appears unconvinced.
The Authority maintains that qualification for consideration does not automatically translate into entitlement to renewal.
Under the law, the Board and the Minister retain discretion over who should lead the regulator.
And it is here that the story becomes even more explosive.
The respondents say governance concerns emerged during internal reviews and audits.
Among the issues reportedly raised were allegations of unauthorized salary enhancements, recruitment of staff without Board approval and monetisation of leave without policy backing.
The Authority also cites concerns emerging from a whistleblower-triggered investigation and findings highlighted in the Auditor General’s report.
According to court filings, Kaddunabbi was given an opportunity to respond to these issues during an extraordinary Board meeting held on May 25, 2026.
Dr. Nkote has rejected allegations of bias and personal vendetta, insisting that all actions were guided by Board resolutions and statutory obligations.
He says Kaddunabbi was properly excluded whenever discussions concerned his own contract and future employment.
The Board further argues that the decision not to recommend renewal was not an individual crusade but a collective position reached through a five-to-three majority vote.
Yet Kaddunabbi claims the process was poisoned from the beginning.
He alleges that investigations were influenced by complaints, social media attacks and other efforts allegedly intended to frustrate his bid for a second term.
As the legal battle intensifies, many observers are pointing to issues that had already cast a shadow over the regulator long before the court fight erupted.
Earlier this year, RedPepper reported extensively on troubling findings contained in the Auditor General’s report concerning the Insurance Regulatory Authority.
Those findings exposed governance weaknesses, accountability concerns and failures in implementing critical statutory obligations.
One of the biggest shocks involved UGX 6.27 billion reportedly spent outside the approved budget framework.
Auditors revealed that the expenditure had neither been appropriated in the approved budget nor formally approved by the Board or the responsible Minister.
There was reportedly no evidence of supplementary approval to regularise the spending.
The revelation triggered serious concerns about financial discipline inside the regulator.
Questions also emerged over procurement management after auditors found that procurements worth UGX 13.285 billion were completed without the required multi-year procurement plans.
Such plans are intended to ensure transparency, budgeting discipline and proper oversight of large expenditures.
The absence of those plans raised fresh concerns about governance systems within the Authority.
But perhaps the most politically damaging revelation was the continued failure to establish the Policy Holders’ Compensation Fund.
The fund was created by law to protect policyholders in the event an insurance company collapses.
Yet eight years after the Insurance Act required its establishment, auditors found it still did not exist.
That finding alarmed industry observers who warned that ordinary Ugandans could be left exposed if an insurer became insolvent.
The Auditor General also flagged weaknesses in the monitoring of insurance company security deposits.
Auditors reportedly found that the Authority lacked clear policies for verifying and controlling those deposits, raising concerns about the effectiveness of safeguards meant to protect the insurance sector.
Governance questions did not stop there.
The audit also found that the Board was operating below its legally required composition during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Although the Authority still functioned, governance experts warned that incomplete boards can weaken oversight and decision-making.
Taken together, the findings reignited long-standing debates about leadership at the regulator.
Supporters of Kaddunabbi argue that he deserves recognition for helping grow Uganda’s insurance industry from a relatively small sector into a more mature and organised market.
They point to industry expansion, improved regulation and increased public awareness during his tenure.
Critics, however, argue that longevity alone cannot be the measure of success.
They say every institution eventually requires fresh ideas, new leadership and renewed energy.
For months, whispers of a succession battle have been circulating within insurance circles.
Protazio Sande, who has now been appointed Acting CEO, had long been mentioned as one of the strongest internal contenders.
Another name frequently linked to the top job has been Benerd Obel, the Director of Supervision.
Industry insiders say discussions about life after Kaddunabbi have been ongoing for quite some time.
Now, with Sande occupying the corner office, at least temporarily, the succession question appears to have entered a new phase.
Meanwhile, the courtroom battle is far from over.
When the matter came before Lady Justice Joyce Kavuma, she directed both parties to file written submissions before June 5 and June 10, respectively.
The case will return to court on June 12, 2026, for further directions.
As the legal fireworks continue, one question is dominating conversations across Uganda’s insurance industry.
Is this the final chapter in Kaddunabbi’s 16-year reign, or can the veteran regulator pull off one last miracle and reclaim the throne?
For now, the Board has moved on, a new acting CEO is in place, and the insurance sector is watching every courtroom move.
The battle for the billion-shilling regulator has entered its most dramatic stage yet.
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