Mustapher Ntale
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The storm sweeping through URSB is yet to dissipate, with Deputy Registrar General in charge of Registries Mustapher Ntale now taking charge of the institution in an acting capacity following a directive from Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao.
Ntale has been tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) as investigations into allegations of corruption, abuse of office, money laundering, maladministration and institutional mismanagement get underway.
His appointment follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive that five senior URSB officials step aside and go on mandatory leave pending the completion of an audit and investigations into the affairs of the Bureau.
The officials affected include Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, Deputy Registrar General Alex Anganya, Commissioner for ICT and Innovation Arthur Kwesiga, Commissioner for Registration Services Gilbert Agaba and Assistant Commissioner Walid Kule.
In his directive, Mao instructed Ntale to perform the duties of Kainobwisho and coordinate the work of the other offices whose substantive holders have been sent on leave.
He also directed Ntale to identify and assign appropriate officers to act in the positions left vacant by the affected officials, in a move intended to ensure that URSB continues to function normally despite the leadership shake-up.
The leadership changes follow a directive by President Museveni for the Inspector General of Government (IGG), with support from State House auditors, to investigate allegations of embezzlement of government funds and other forms of abuse and mismanagement at the Bureau.
The investigations have cast a spotlight on the operations of URSB, an institution responsible for registering businesses, companies, marriages, intellectual property and other legal entities and documents in Uganda.
Mao has also moved to clarify why the affected officials were placed on mandatory leave rather than immediately being interdicted, after questions emerged on social media over the apparent difference between his action and the IGG’s directive.
Some commentators argued that interdiction would have required the officials to receive half salary, while placing them on leave could allow them to continue receiving their full remuneration.
But Mao said his decision was based on the President’s instructions and that the order to place the officials on leave preceded any recommendation for interdiction.
“I have some little knowledge of English and I’m sure the President knows the difference between ‘leave’ and ‘interdiction’,” Mao said.
He cited a letter dated July 24, 2026, in which Museveni directed the officials to go on leave until an audit into URSB’s activities was completed.
According to Mao, the arrangement was deliberately designed to allow investigations to proceed while safeguarding the continuity of URSB’s operations.
Ntale’s elevation therefore gives the Bureau an interim leadership structure as investigators examine the allegations against its senior management.
His immediate challenge will be to keep URSB’s critical registration services running while also coordinating the work of officers taking over the responsibilities of the officials under investigation.
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