KAMPALA, Uganda — The High Court has temporarily halted the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA)’s recruitment process for a new Chief Executive Officer after outgoing CEO Ibrahim Kaddunabbi Lubega challenged the board’s decision not to renew his contract.
The interim court orders restrain the IRA Board from conducting interviews or appointing a substantive Chief Executive Officer until the case filed by Kaddunabbi is heard and determined.
Kaddunabbi, who has led Uganda’s insurance sector regulator for several years, is contesting the board’s decision, arguing that the refusal to renew his contract was reached unfairly and in violation of established administrative procedures.
Through his legal representatives, he is seeking declarations from the court that the board acted unlawfully and an order stopping the implementation of the ongoing recruitment process.
Court documents indicate that Kaddunabbi contends he was denied a fair hearing before the board reached its decision and that the process violated principles of natural justice and legitimate expectation under public administrative law.
The legal challenge has placed one of Uganda’s key financial sector regulators at the centre of a governance dispute over executive succession in public institutions.
Under Kaddunabbi’s leadership, the Insurance Regulatory Authority implemented several reforms aimed at strengthening regulation of the insurance industry, expanding digital insurance services and increasing insurance penetration through public awareness campaigns and enhanced market supervision.
Prior to the court intervention, the IRA Board had initiated the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive Officer following the expiry of Kaddunabbi’s contract, attracting interest from professionals within Uganda’s insurance, banking and financial services sectors.
The High Court’s interim orders now suspend the recruitment exercise pending determination of the substantive application.
The case is expected to test the extent to which statutory bodies must observe procedural fairness and due process when making decisions on the renewal of contracts for senior executives.
By Tuesday, the Insurance Regulatory Authority had not issued a detailed public statement commenting on either the court orders or the claims raised in Kaddunabbi’s application.
The matter is expected to return to court in the coming weeks as both parties present arguments over the contested leadership transition at the regulator.