Kampala, Uganda: Retired General Ivan Koreta has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) board of directors, in a move to restore order and tighten oversight at the troubled parastatal.
The new board was sworn in last Friday at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) by HW Harriet Ssali, Registrar, Special Duties. Other members include Ms. Jolly Kamugisha Kaguhangire, Dr. Catherine Wandera, Ms. Magdalene Akite, and Dr. Joshua Mutambi.
State Minister for Trade Hon. David Bahati, who presided over the inauguration, tasked the new board to provide strong leadership and reposition UIRI as a driver of Uganda’s industrialization agenda.
“We expect this board to give its utmost commitment in steering UIRI to deliver on its mandate of driving industrialization through innovation and research,” Bahati told the members.
UIRI, a parastatal under MTIC, is mandated to spearhead industrial development through innovation, value addition, process design, technology sourcing, SME support, and business incubation. However, the institute has for years been bogged down by allegations of mismanagement, intrigue, and failure to deliver on key industrial targets.
Executive Director Prof. Charles Kwesiga has repeatedly faced criticism from parliamentary committees, audit reports, and stakeholders over what they termed a “big-headed” style of leadership, poor accountability, and stalled projects. The Auditor General flagged UIRI for failing to operationalize multimillion-dollar equipment meant to support SMEs, while Parliament’s Committee on Trade in 2022 warned that internal wrangles and lack of strategic direction were crippling the institute.
The appointment of Gen. Koreta, a respected NRA historical and former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, is seen as the government’s attempt to inject authority, stability, and discipline into UIRI’s governance.
The move also signals the renewed commitment to positioning UIRI as a key driver of industrialization and technological advancement in the country.
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