The Board of Directors of the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) has appointed Dr. Protazio Sande as Acting Chief Executive Officer, marking a new chapter at the regulator amid a growing legal dispute surrounding the departure of longtime chief executive Alhaj Dr. Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega.
In a press statement issued on June 2, the board announced that Dr. Sande’s appointment took effect on June 1, 2026, following the expiry of Kaddunabbi’s contract on May 31.
The appointment was made under Clause 6.11(h) of the Human Capital Management Manual (2023). The board said Sande, who has been serving as Director of Strategy and Market Development, will provide continuity and ensure the smooth execution of the Authority’s mandate during the transition period.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of a dramatic court battle that has exposed deep divisions over succession at Uganda’s insurance regulator.
Just a day before Sande’s appointment took effect, Kaddunabbi petitioned the Civil Division of the High Court, challenging the decision by the IRA Board not to recommend him for another term as CEO.
In his judicial review application, the veteran regulator seeks to overturn a board resolution made on February 16, 2026, which declined to support his reappointment for another five-year term.
Kaddunabbi argues that the board acted irrationally and unfairly in refusing to recommend him for renewal. Through his lawyers, he contends that he remains eligible for reappointment under the Insurance Act and the Authority’s Human Resource Manual.
He further argues that term limits introduced under the Insurance Act of 2017 cannot be applied retrospectively to his earlier years in office.
The former CEO has been one of the most influential figures in Uganda’s insurance sector, having first taken charge of the regulator in 2011 before securing subsequent reappointments.
During his tenure, the industry recorded significant growth in premium collections, expanded insurance awareness campaigns and introduced reforms aimed at modernizing the sector.
However, the IRA board has mounted a vigorous defense against his legal challenge.
Court documents filed by the Authority and former board chairman Dr. Isaac Nkote Nabeta argue that Kaddunabbi’s application has effectively been overtaken by events because his contract has already expired.
The Authority maintains that the employment agreement was a fixed five-year contract running from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2026, and therefore came to an end automatically by operation of law.
According to affidavits filed in court, the board had already directed Kaddunabbi to proceed on leave and complete a formal handover process ahead of the expiry of his contract. The regulator says that handover has since been completed and that Dr. Sande has officially assumed office as Acting CEO.
IRA’s lawyers have also warned that granting Kaddunabbi’s request could create confusion at the regulator by resulting in two individuals simultaneously claiming authority over the institution. Such a scenario, they argue, would undermine governance structures and disrupt the management of public resources.
The succession dispute has become one of the most closely watched governance battles within Uganda’s financial sector. For months, speculation had swirled around whether Kaddunabbi would secure another term after spending approximately 15 years at the helm of the regulator.
Reports of lobbying, boardroom disagreements and uncertainty over succession had fueled intense debate within insurance circles.
In its latest statement, the board sought to project stability, saying it has full confidence in Dr. Sande’s leadership, expertise and institutional knowledge. It also praised Kaddunabbi for his contribution to insurance regulation, market development and policyholder protection during his years of service.
“The Authority remains fully committed to its mandate of regulating, supervising and promoting a sound, competitive and inclusive insurance sector in Uganda,” the board said, while assuring stakeholders that all operations and regulatory services will continue uninterrupted.
The coming weeks are likely to determine whether Kaddunabbi’s legal challenge can reverse the board’s decision or whether the appointment of Dr. Sande marks the definitive end of one of the longest-serving tenures in Uganda’s financial regulatory sector.
For now, the battle has shifted from the boardroom to the courtroom, where judges will ultimately decide whether the veteran regulator still has a path back to the office he occupied for more than a decade.
