QMS LAUNCH

The QMS launch, held at the Uganda Business Facilitation Centre, was led by the Registrar General, Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, who reaffirmed URSB’s commitment to excellence and continuous improvement in service delivery.

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URSB Registrar General Highlights Role of Registries in Strengthening Uganda’s Business Environment

Registrar General, Ms Mercy K. Kainobwisho, recently featured on the Judicial Service Conversations podcast, shedding light on how URSB’s registries strengthen the country’s legal and economic framework.

The conversation was moderated by Elison Karuhanga, known as “the lawyer’s lawyer” on Twitter Spaces and YouTube under the topic, “Beyond Incorporation: URSB and the Future of Corporate Accountability in Uganda.”

Ms Kainobwisho explained that URSB oversees four core registries: Companies and Business Names, Insolvency, Intellectual Property (including Copyright and Neighbouring Rights), and Security Interests.

Collectively, these registries provide businesses with legal identity, protect innovation, offer orderly mechanisms for financial distress, and facilitate credit through secured transactions. She also highlighted the Non-Individual Register, a centralised database for all non-individual entities operating in Uganda.

Beyond administrative functions, URSB exercises quasi-judicial powers in areas such as rectification, objections, and insolvency supervision, enabling it to adjudicate disputes efficiently. In 2025/2026 alone, the Registrar of Companies resolved over 93 cases of fraudulent share transfers and member oppression, while trademark disputes and counterfeit enforcement actions safeguarded intellectual property and raised government revenue.

Digitisation has transformed URSB operations, reducing turnaround times; company registration and charge filings now take about four hours, while returns are filed instantly. Integrated online systems improve accessibility, minimize human discretion, and curb corruption, ensuring transparent and predictable processes.

Ms Kainobwisho emphasised that registry accuracy and beneficial ownership transparency strengthen tax compliance, financial integrity, and investor confidence. Looking ahead, URSB aims to unify its digital platforms, expand service efficiency, and sustain reforms through leadership, staff mentorship, and stakeholder collaboration.

She concluded that measurable success over the next five years will include increased formal business registrations, faster service delivery, stronger intellectual property compliance, ISO certification benefits, and growth in non-tax revenue, signaling a more transparent, competitive, and innovation-driven business environment for Uganda.