Uganda businessman Emmanuel Katongole resigns as URA board chairman after 6 months

Ugandan businessman Emmanuel Katongole has resigned as chairman of the Uganda Revenue Authority’s board, barely six months after taking charge of the tax agency, citing competing responsibilities at Quality Chemical Industries and Rotary International.

Emmanuel Katongole’s resignation comes as URA faces disciplinary proceedings involving senior officials and increased pressure to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation. His appointment took effect on April 1, 2026, when he succeeded banker Juma Kisaame, who had chaired the board since March 2020.

Katongole says business commitments drove exit

Emmanuel Katongole confirmed that he had submitted his resignation to the appointing authority, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The businessman said the decision was driven by the growing demands of his responsibilities at Quality Chemical Industries, where he serves as executive chairman, alongside his international responsibilities with Rotary.

He said Quality Chemical Industries is expanding its manufacturing capacity and developing a larger plant and training school, projects that require his presence. He also recently took up a two-year term as Rotary International director for Zone 22, covering Africa, beginning July 1, 2026. Katongole said he had underestimated the extent of the day-to-day demands attached to chairing the URA board.

Resignation comes amid URA disciplinary disputes

Emmanuel Katongole’s departure comes as the URA board deals with disciplinary cases involving senior officials, including Commissioner for Customs and Border Control Asadu Kisitu.

Kisitu challenged aspects of the disciplinary process and called for an independent investigation, raising concerns about witness handling, evidence disclosure and potential conflicts of interest. In response, the board maintained that it had authority to discipline senior URA officials while also directing that Kisitu receive the particulars and evidence forming the basis of the case.

The board’s handling of such cases has attracted scrutiny, although Katongole has rejected suggestions that internal disagreements were responsible for his resignation.

URA faces growing revenue mobilisation demands

Emmanuel Katongole’s exit comes as Uganda seeks to raise domestic revenue and reduce reliance on borrowing. Uganda’s Finance Ministry and URA have been working toward increasing the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio from about 14.2% to 20% by the 2029/30 financial year. 

The strategy includes expanding the tax base, improving compliance and strengthening revenue administration. Katongole leaves the URA board after a short tenure in which he was tasked with providing governance oversight to one of Uganda’s most important public institutions.

Katongole leaves behind four decades of business leadership

Emmanuel Katongole is best known as co-founder and executive chairman of Quality Chemical Industries, Uganda’s pharmaceutical manufacturer. He has also held senior leadership positions across Uganda’s corporate and public sectors.

He previously chaired the Uganda National Oil Company board from 2015 to 2024 and currently chairs the Presidential CEO Forum. His latest Rotary appointment adds an international leadership role to an already extensive portfolio.

His resignation now leaves Uganda’s government to appoint a new chairman at a time when URA is pursuing more aggressive domestic revenue mobilisation while managing disciplinary and governance matters within the tax authority.