The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has been called before Parliament to explain serious weaknesses in its financial management, digital systems and trademark protection, following concerns raised in an Auditor General's report. The bureau appeared before Parliament's Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), chaired by Nkunyingi Muwada, to answer questions about the audit findings and outline steps to fix the problems.
The audit uncovered multiple financial and operational issues. The bureau lacks insurance cover for non-current assets, leaving it exposed to potential losses. Asset records contained inaccuracies, with some items appearing to have been in use before their recorded procurement dates. The audit also flagged inadequate funding for the bureau's strategic plan, inaccurate non-tax revenue reporting, failure to absorb allocated funds and errors in performance reports.
Digital registration services have been severely disrupted. The Online Business Registration System (OBRS) has suffered repeated outages that delayed processing and affected service delivery. The audit found inadequate fraud prevention measures, weak information technology governance and over-reliance on external vendors, raising questions about the system's long-term reliability and sustainability. Muwada questioned whether these problems would create uncertainty for users and discourage innovators from using the services.
Trademark protection has been particularly poor. The Auditor General found that 79 percent of the trademarks sampled were not protected, according to Muwada. He warned that failure to register official symbols could expose the public to impersonation and online fraud, allowing people to be deceived by those using government logos without authorisation.
The bureau cited budget constraints as a major obstacle, saying inadequate funding had hampered implementation of its strategic plan. The committee is examining the bureau's responses alongside other audit findings. Muwada also raised concerns about reports that some URSB staff members were under interdiction, asking for clarification on whether officials appearing before the committee were authorised to represent the bureau and whether they had been cleared to testify.
The audit also identified delays in obtaining ISO 9001 certification for registration processes and highlighted the absence of a national policy on business formalisation. The committee sought an update on the bureau's current operational status and the internal measures being taken to reorganise operations and prevent further interruptions to public services.