The board of directors of the Insurance Regulatory Authority has appointed Dr.Protazio Sande, the director strategy and market development at IRA as the authority’s acting Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment took effect on June, 1.
Dr.Sande replaces Al Hajji Ibrahim Kaddunabbi Lubega whose contract expired on May, 31 and was not renewed.
“The appointment of Dr. Sande, who is substantively the Director Strategy and Market Development, will ensure continuity of operations and effective discharge of the Authority's mandate,” the IRA board said in a statement on Tuesday
The board said it is confident that Dr. Sande's expertise, leadership and institutional knowledge will ensure effective leadership at the Authority, maintain stability and steer growth of the Insurance sector during the transition period.
“The authority remains fully committed to its mandate of regulating, supervising and promoting a sound, competitive and inclusive insurance sector in Uganda.”
The development brings down the curtain on Al Hajji Kaddunabbi’s 16 year tenure at Uganda’s Insurance Regulator where he is credited for having helped advance insurance regulation, market development, and policyholder protection .
“The board extends its best wishes for success in his next assignments.”
The development comes on the backdrop of a court battle in which Kaddunabbi sued the Insurance Regulatory Authority Board arguing that he was not given a chance to defend himself before the board decided not to renew his contract for another five-year term.
However, in the matter currently before court, IRA said reinstating the contract is legally impossible and could create confusion by having two people claim leadership simultaneously.
Kaddunabbi was first appointed as CEO in May 2011 and re-appointed on August 25, 2016, under section 21(2)(a) of the Insurance Act, Cap 213, which did not set any term limits for the position.
The law was later replaced by the Insurance Act of 2017, which introduced a limit of two five-year terms for the CEO.
In May 2021, Kaddunabbi was re-appointed for another five-year term and in his suit, he argues that the 2017 Act, which introduced term limits, should not apply retroactively to his previous two terms, making him eligible for yet another term.
