The Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) has sworn in a new board of directors, with retired General Ivan Koreta appointed as chairperson in what many see as a government effort to restore order and tighten oversight at the embattled parastatal.
The swearing-in ceremony took place on Friday at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) and was presided over by Her Worship Harriet Ssali, the Registrar of Special Duties. Other members of the new board include Ms. Jolly Kamugisha Kaguhangire, Dr. Catherine Wandera, Ms. Magdalene Akite, and Dr. Joshua Mutambi.
Minister of State for Trade, Hon. David Bahati, welcomed the new members and urged them to provide strong leadership to reposition UIRI as a key player in Uganda’s industrialisation agenda. “We expect this board to give its utmost commitment to steering UIRI to deliver on its mandate of driving industrialisation through innovation and research,” Bahati said.
UIRI operates under MTIC and is mandated to spearhead industrial development through research, value addition, technology sourcing, process design, SME support, and business incubation. Despite this critical role, the institute has in recent years been plagued by allegations of mismanagement, poor governance, and underperformance.
The appointment of Gen. Koreta comes at a time when UIRI’s leadership under long-serving Executive Director Prof. Charles Kwesiga is under heavy scrutiny. Prof. Kwesiga has repeatedly faced accusations of defying board directives, running the institution in a unilateral manner, and failing to deliver on key industrial research and innovation targets.
Government audit reports and parliamentary committees have consistently highlighted deep-rooted challenges at UIRI. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised red flags about financial mismanagement, stalled projects, and underutilised funds. Similarly, the Auditor General’s report questioned why multimillion-dollar equipment meant to support small and medium enterprises has remained idle for years.
In 2022, Parliament’s Committee on Trade warned that persistent internal wrangles, poor leadership, and lack of strategic direction were crippling the institute’s ability to contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s industrialisation journey. Critics argue that instead of becoming a driver of innovation and value addition, UIRI has been bogged down by internal fights and administrative inefficiency.
Analysts say Koreta’s appointment could mark a turning point if the new board asserts its authority and restores discipline at the institute. As a retired army general and experienced public servant, Koreta is expected to bring both firmness and oversight to an institution many say has been allowed to drift for too long.
For now, the test for the new board will be how it handles tensions with Prof. Kwesiga, who has long been accused of running UIRI independently of board guidance. Without structural reforms and stronger accountability, analysts warn, the institute may continue to underperform despite its strategic mandate in Uganda’s industrialisation strategy.
UIRI’s future, therefore, rests on whether the new board can instill discipline, enforce transparency, and align the parastatal’s operations with government priorities. Many stakeholders, including Parliament and industry players, will be watching closely to see if this leadership change finally brings the turnaround the institute urgently needs.
