Gilbert Agaba Among Top URSB Bosses Sent on Mandatory Leave

URSB Commissioner Gilbert Agaba has been sent on mandatory leave as the fallout surrounding the bureau widens, with the Inspector General of Government investigating allegations of corruption and institutional mismanagement.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao has placed Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Commissioner for Registration Services Gilbert Agaba on mandatory leave, bringing him into the widening government investigation that has engulfed the agency’s top management.

Agaba was among senior URSB officials directed to step aside as the government moves to preserve the integrity of an audit and investigation ordered after allegations of financial misconduct, abuse of office and institutional mismanagement at the bureau.

Others placed on mandatory leave are Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, Deputy Registrar General Alex Anganya, Commissioner for ICT and Innovation Arthur Kwesiga and Assistant Commissioner for Registration Services Walid Kule.

Mao’s directive, communicated to the interdicted URSB staff in a letter dated August 12, took effect on August 17 and requires him to remain away from his office until the investigations are completed.

“Your going on mandatory leave is to ensure the integrity of the investigations and you will remain on leave until the investigations are complete,” Mao said.

The Minister said the decision followed President Museveni’s directive to institute an audit of URSB, with the Inspector General of Government (IGG) leading the investigations alongside auditors from the Office of the President.

Agaba has been at the centre of a controversy that began as an internal dispute over what sources at the Bureau say involved his management of the Business Registration Department but later escalated into allegations against the wider URSB leadership, eventually reaching the Attorney General and the President.

"Agaba’s work relations with some colleagues and senior management had deteriorated over time, with internal concerns raised over his management of staff, departmental meetings, coordination with Assistant Commissioners, implementation of management decisions and alleged insubordination," a source said, preferring anonymity because the matter is now under investigation.

The concerns resulted in an internal disciplinary process and a formal warning from the URSB Board.

Agaba had also previously contested for the position of Registrar General but was unsuccessful. In February 2026, he applied for the position of Deputy Registrar General in charge of Registries and Legal Affairs but was again unsuccessful.

His relationship with management was further strained after he objected to his transfer to the Business Registration Department in 2025.

"Agaba began raising allegations of wrongdoing within URSB with external authorities, arguing that disciplinary action against him was connected to complaints he had raised about alleged corruption, abuse of office and conflicts of interest involving some managers," the source added.

In a July 29 response to the disciplinary process, Agaba challenged the investigations against him, saying he had reasonable grounds to believe they were neither impartial nor undertaken in good faith.

Among the allegations he raised were alleged inflation of contracts for the development and maintenance of ICT systems, suspected money laundering through the non-individual register project, embezzlement and misappropriation of URSB funds, unauthorised expenditure, irregular procurement, fraudulent registrations, weak internal financial controls and under-collection of revenue.

The allegations have not been established, and Agaba has not been accused or convicted of a criminal offence. They are among matters expected to be examined during the ongoing investigations.

Agaba first raised his concerns with URSB Board Chairman Ambassador Francis Butagira before escalating them to external authorities, including the Economic Crimes Division of the Uganda Police Force and the Attorney General.

On July 8, Attorney General Sam Mayanja wrote to Butagira saying he was aware that Agaba had brought alleged criminal activities at URSB to the attention of the Board.

Mayanja said he had escalated the matter to President Museveni for guidance and directed the Board to halt its own investigations into Agaba pending the President’s response.

“This is to direct that you and the URSB Board cease all investigations/inquiries into Mr Agaba and await the guidance of His Excellency the President,” Mayanja wrote.

But staff have also raised concerns into chain of events, saying Agaba flouted the due process by escalating the matter to external offices before it was exhausted internall.

URSB falls under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and has a Board chaired by Ambassador Francis Butagira. Yet the Minister, Board and affected Management officials were reportedly not given an opportunity to respond to the allegations before action was taken.

"The current URSB matter should therefore not be viewed simply as a corruption or governance matter," the source said. "Its full history — including the internal leadership disputes, disciplinary processes, unsuccessful applications for senior positions and subsequent escalation of allegations — should also be examined."

On July 24, Museveni directed Mao to have several senior URSB officials leave office pending an audit of the bureau.

The President named Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, Assistant Commissioner Walid Kule, Deputy Registrar General Alex Anganya and Commissioner for ICT and Innovations Arthur Kwesiga, among others, and directed the IGG to lead the investigation with assistance from State House auditors.

He also directed his Principal Private Secretary to bring the URSB Board Chairman before him.

The presidential intervention transformed what had started as an internal management dispute involving Agaba into a wider investigation of URSB’s leadership and operations.

The IGG subsequently escalated the matter on August 18 by directing Mao to interdict Kainobwisho, Anganya, Kwesiga and Kule over allegations including embezzlement of government funds, abuse of office, money laundering, institutional mismanagement and maladministration.

The four officials are to remain out of office pending the completion of investigations, while the URSB Board has been directed to establish interim arrangements for their functions.

The latest measures mean that Agaba, whose internal dispute with management helped trigger the chain of complaints and counter-complaints, is also now outside the bureau while investigators examine the allegations surrounding the institution.

Agaba was contacted for comment on his placement on mandatory leave and the allegations surrounding the dispute but had not responded by the time of publication.