KAMPALA.
The retired senior officer Gen Ivan Koreta has been appointed as the new chairperson of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) .
Other board members include Ms. Jolly Kamugisha Kaguhangire, Dr. Catherine Wandera, Ms. Magdalene Akite, and Dr. Joshua Mutambi.
The new board members were sworn in last Friday at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) at ceremony presided over by HW Harriet Ssali, the Registrar Special Duties.
Minister of State for Trade Hon. David Bahati welcomed the members, urging them to provide strong leadership and help 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 said.
UIRI, a government parastatal under MTIC, is mandated to spearhead industrial development through research, innovation, value addition, process design, technology sourcing, SME support, and business incubation.
However, the institute has in recent years been dogged by allegations of mismanagement, intrigue, and stagnation. The appointment of Gen. Koreta comes against a backdrop of mounting concerns about UIRI’s leadership under Executive Director Prof. Charles Kwesiga.
For years, Prof. Kwesiga has been accused of defying board directives and running the institution with a “big-headed” approach.
Government audit reports and parliamentary committee findings have repeatedly flagged governance and accountability gaps at UIRI.
In past reviews, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised concerns over poor financial management, stalled projects, and underutilization of funds.
The Auditor General’s reports also questioned UIRI’s failure to operationalize multimillion-dollar equipment meant to support small and medium enterprises.
In 2022, Parliament’s Committee on Trade warned that persistent internal fights and lack of strategic direction were crippling the institute’s ability to contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s industrialization efforts.