The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Francis Mwebesa has appointed Eng. James Nkamwesiga Kasigwa as the 5th Executive Director of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) officially replacing David Livingstone Ebiru who was fired over bribery accusations.
According to a statement by UNBS on Tuesday, May 15, 2024 Kasigwa’s appointment was effective on 13th May, 2024. Daniel Richard Makayi Nangalama, who previously served as Deputy Executive Director in charge of Management and Financial Services, was appointed as the Acting Executive Director of UNBS.
Ebiru was dismissed in August 2023 following a parliamentary investigation on the UNBS board. He had been facing bribery charges brought by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) for allegedly offering a bribe to the UNBS Board Chairperson Charles Masekuura between October and December 2022 in an effort to retain his position as UNBS Executive Director.
However, In October 2023 the IGG Betty Kamya withdrew these bribery charges against Ebiru
Eng. James N. Kasigwa the New ED is an Electrical Engineer with an illustrious career, having worked with multinational corporations, private and public sectors, spanning over two decades in leadership and strategic management of expert teams in Science, Technology, Innovation, Standards and the Infrastructure Industry.
Kasigwa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Makerere University, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a Master’s of Science degree in Telecommunication from London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from ESAMI.
Prior to this appointment, Eng. Kasigwa has been serving as the Director Science, Technology, Innovation Regulation and Biosafety at the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Uganda.
He also served as the Commissioner ICT Infrastructure Development at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.
