Kampala top engineer, James Kalibbala, has come under scrutiny for being a member of the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) while at the same time serving as Chairperson of the National Standards Council, which regulates the manufacturers.
Kalibbala, who has accumulated 46 years’ experience but not registered under the Uganda Engineers Registration Board, appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, as MPs widened their inquiry into the leadership and governance of the National Standards Council and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).
Committee Chairperson, Hon. Boniface Okot questioned whether Kalibbala’s membership of the UMA Advisory Council did not create a conflict of interest, given UNBS’s regulatory responsibilities over manufacturers and their products.
“You are ideally a regulator. Don’t you think, by you being on this advisory council of entities that you’re supposed to regulate is a conflict of interest?” Okot asked stating that individual businesses are the ones that form UMA.
Kalibbala defended the arrangement, saying the council regulates individual businesses rather than the UMA as an institution.
Stella Nyapendi, a member of the council and a legal expert said that she often advises the entity on conflict of interest, but she cannot do much noting that the appointing authority had already made a decision of the council members.
She however said the case of conflict of interest regarding the chairperson had not yet been brought to her attention since the person in question is the chairperson of the council.
The committee, however, continued to scrutinise whether such positions could compromise the independence or public confidence in the National Standards Council, which provides oversight to UNBS.
The inquiry originated from concerns raised in Parliament in October 2025 by Bwamba County MP Richard Gafabusa over the decision by the National Standards Council to send UNBS Executive Director Eng. James Kasigwa on leave pending investigations into alleged insubordination.
The matter, initially referred to the committee during the 11th Parliament, lapsed before being reinstated through a resolution of the 12th Parliament. As MPs examined the circumstances surrounding Kasigwa’s leave, the inquiry expanded to the qualifications, experience and conduct of members of the National Standards Council.
The committee also questioned Kalibbala over his use of the title “Engineer”, after he acknowledged that, although trained as an engineer he was not registered with the Engineers Registration Board.
The committee directed Kalibbala and other council members to submit their academic certificates and curriculum vitae for verification.
The committee is expected to continue examining whether the council’s composition, qualifications and external affiliations meet the standards required of a body responsible for overseeing Uganda’s national standards system.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
