Storm Over The Paradise: Untreated ‘Cancer’ Pushes Out URA Board Chair, Threatens To Eat Up Whole Tax Body

The allegory of untreated cancer is the best expression to the current situation at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) head offices in Nakawa. The ‘cancer’ is evident in the well documented cases of tax evasion, customs fraud, trader exploitation as well as internal controversies that have since forced out competent staff due to alleged intrigue, open disagreements, conflict of interest, infighting and bickering among the top bosses.According to a renowned tax expert, “Tax administration is not a simple domain. It is complex, rules-based, and difficult to apply. It sits at the intersection of law, economics, accounting, technology and taxpayer behavior. You cannot negate experience thinking you will rebuild it with new, younger people within a few months.”

The resignation of Emmanuel Katongole, the URA Board Chairman and country’s lead entrepreneur barely six months into his appointment, coupled with reports of dishonorable exits of experienced staff, including in senior management, is a governance signal that cannot be ignored. This is a clear indication that the institution is not healthy and may warrant the cutting off the “cancerous” part if the appointing authority properly diagnoses the issue.The outgoing Board Chairman is a serious Ugandan entrepreneur who, with his partners, has built sustainable and profitable businesses that fuel Uganda’s economy. Leaders of that caliber are results-oriented. When such a leader steps away quickly, the concerned stakeholders must reflect. In today’s briefing, we exclusively bring you some controversies that irked the outgoing chairman to the extent of throwing in the towel after only 6 months and going into URA’s records as the shortest serving URA board Chairman. Katongole took office officially on April 1, 2026 replacing a senior banker Juma Kisaame who had served in the same capacity from March 2020 to March 2026.

His exit leaves the tax body in balance with an unanswered question; Who is advising the Commissioner General and Top Management on tax administration governance? This is the time for sober, expert, independent counsel on people, systems, and stakeholder management. URA needs a governance health-check – an external review of its decision-making before the taxpayer confidence is eroded.

Few days after Katongole’s appointment, the URA enforcement team under the command of Assistant Commissioner Godson Mwesigye (in-charge of enforcement operation) shot, injured two people in a case of mistaken identity.In this botched operation, the URA enforcement team moving in a Toyota Fortuner, registration number UA 20241AA chased two vehicles (Toyota Wish, registration number UBR 873G and Toyota Wish, registration number UBP 571G), opened fire and injured the occupants on suspicion that they were smugglers only to find out later that the victims were not in any way involved in illicit trade. The case of attempted murder was opened at Mukono Division Police Headquarters and the file was opened. However, to the surprise of the victims who were still under the treatment at Nsambya Hospital, the file was transferred from Mukono Police to Kampala Metropolitan Police where the matter reportedly died a natural death.

It is hitherto not known whether the Police and URA joint investigations into the circumstances surrounding the shooting yielded any tangible results but what is clear is that the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the operation remained serving in the same capacity and no disciplinary action was taken against him and other URA officers involved in the altercation. What annoyed people further, the URA’s Assistant Commissioner Public and Corporate Affairs Robert Kalumba went to his X-handle and tweeted dismissing the claims that URA staff was on the run and added that no case had been reported to police. “No attempted murder has occurred. No chase involving our enforcement team occurred along the Katosi/Mukono road, a known area for smuggling. URA is investigating the case,” Kalumba said on his X-handle. This cover up sparked outrage at URA with some individuals saying the matter was shrouded by conflict of interest since Godson Mwesigye is a right-hand man to the top bosses at the tax body. Though the complaints reached the board and the Chairman inquired, everything remained in the cupboard till now. The Chairman who was a few days in the office sniffed unprofessionalism and conflict of interest in handling some matters.

Several other cases came up and would be solved to the satisfaction of some individuals at URA and apparently this behavior left the chairman at bay.The case in point was the arrest of Timothy Segane in August over alleged tax evasion, customs fraud and trader exploitation with an aim of linking him and embarrassing the suspended Commissioner for Customs Hajj Asadu Kisitu Kigozi however this did not come to pass. Incidentally the Segane’s phone records clearly indicated that the smuggler was in constant communication to other ‘protected’ senior staff members; Henry Kwarigonza (Acting Commissioner Customs), Moses Kyomuhendo (Manager Enforcement Operations), Fiona Nyamurungi Tubeine (Manager Trade – transit Monitoring) something that did not go down well with some top bosses at URA. It happened at a time when Asadu was scheduled for disciplinary action that kept flopping until he was reportedly kidnapped from his home by unknown people. The board chairman continued to look at the unfolding events as foolery of the highest order.It should be noted that the arrest of the notorious smuggler and director of Timways Enterprises Limited, Timothy Segane and his link to various sagas was triggered by the clearance of a textile consignment which was declared as scholastic materials. To everybody’s surprise Molly Natukunda Mwesigye, a Customs officer at URA and wife to the Assistant Commissioner for Customs Enforcement Operations – Godson Mwesigye was the one working with this agent. She was not arrested whereas the other staff who worked on the same consignment were apprehended and questioned. Lucky Molly was never paraded by Kalumba as the new norms dictate. Observes who expected the boss’ wife to be embarrassed kept speculating on how the wife the Commissioner General’s blue-eyed could be paraded and shamed. There is no way URA would praise itself for arresting a top tax evader Segane without mentioning and bringing to book Molly, the lead accomplice in the smuggling matter.According to some senior staff members, the actions of Molly could have compelled her hubby to resign in public interest but they got shocked when the lady in question was later given a VIP treatment by the Commissioner General.There is no way the Board Chairman who is also a crisp businessman and entrepreneur would keep presiding over the suspicious people that were protected by the top honchos.

This followed the dramatic arrests and parading of URA staff members before the cameras, a clear testimony that Management was washing its dirty linen in public. Emmanuel Lutaaya and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Manager for External Operations in Customs (stationed in Dar es Salaam) Geoffrey Ssozi Kawere were arrested on camera and publicly condemned. All this drama combined with the past history that had resulted in resignations of some senior staff like the Commissioner for Domestic Taxes, Sarah M. Chelangat perplexed Katongole as the chairman of the board. It was now clear to him that intrigue and infighting were the guiding principles at the Nakawa based offices. Indeed before his resignation, he attempted to solve the matter of Asadu by personally writing to him to appear for a disciplinary hearing which had been postponed several times for lack of evidence to pin him. Other reports indicate that the members of the board were already divided before the resignation was tendered in.

On September 15, 2026, Katongole wrote and stipulated that Asadu needed a fair hearing and should with immediate effect be furnished with particulars of the case against him including any witness statements or document the board intends to rely on during the hearing. In the same letter, Katongole guided that Commissioner General John Rujoki (ex-officio to the board) whom he suspected to be having a conflict of interest in Asadu’s case be excluded from the deliberation and decision on the matter. A week later on September 22, 2026, the board sat to decide Asadu’s fate, something that did not come to pass since his family members were in tears that he was kidnapped. In that particular sitting, they discussed a matter of another suspended Assistant Commissioner for Compliance James Abola who was dismissed.When the Board Chairman was notified that some elements within URA could have been involved in the kidnap of Asadu with intentions to dump him at the Anti Corruption Court and later push for his interdiction on baseless accusations, he did not see any future at the tax body. A week later, he tendered his resignation and decided to go and concentrate on his growing company, Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited (CQCIL), the only company in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as coordinating the Rotary activities across the continent.The taxation expert however warns that URA needs a systematic and logical way of transitioning the young and the old to ensure learning and continuity. Skills transfer, knowledge management, and understanding how technology is used in tax administration are fundamental to productivity. The brain behind these systems cannot be replaced in short cycles. Changing critical people in short cycles is not sustainable in a tax administration. The expert predicts a bigger challenge if the taxpaying community gets fatigued by instability and unpredictability. This does not only create an economic imbalance but puts the growth strategy at risk hence Uganda’s aspiration to attain upper middle-income status may remain on paper. You cannot finance those dreams without a stable and credible tax administration.

The allegory of untreated cancer is the best expression to the current situation at…

The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) has continued monitoring Government-aided schools across the…

Organisers of the Rajiv Ruparelia Legacy Van to Gulu say the convoy will make…

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has closed Yum’s Cafe in Ntinda, Kampala, over alleged…

The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has…

A convoy organised in memory of the late businessman and rally driver Rajiv Ruparelia…

Businessman Sudhir Ruparelia has acquired the former UAP Insurance building on Kimathi Avenue in…

Kampala: Steel & Tube Industries has urged Uganda to accelerate the local processing of…

Namayingo farmers have warned that prolonged uncertainty over the licensing of the stalled CN…

Uganda Revenue Authority Board Chairman Emmanuel Katongole has thrown in the towel before seeing…

We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.

(opens in a new window)Cookie Preferences×Manage your cookie preferences below:

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.

Google Tag Manager simplifies the management of marketing tags on your website without code changes.

Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.

Service URL: policies.google.com (opens in a new window)