At the time of his appointment, Katongole said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve and pledged to bring his decades of experience in entrepreneurship, leadership and public service to the role.
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Emmanuel Katongole has resigned as chairman of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Board, just six months after taking up the position.
Katongole, a businessman and co-founder of Quality Chemical Industries Limited (QCIL), was appointed by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, with his tenure taking effect on April 1, 2026. He succeeded banker Juma Kisaame, who had chaired the URA board since 2020.
His resignation comes at a time when URA is under pressure to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation and expand the tax base. In July, Katongole participated in discussions with Finance Minister Henry Musasizi and URA management on measures aimed at increasing Uganda’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 20% by the financial year 2029/30.
According to an interview with CEO East Africa Magazine, Katongole explained the circumstances that informed his decision to step down.
The development has also prompted questions about his short tenure at the revenue authority, although URA has responded to reports surrounding his departure.
Katongole had assumed leadership of the URA board with extensive experience in business, corporate governance and public service. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of QCIL and previously served as chairman of the Uganda National Oil Company board from 2015 to 2024.
He also serves as chancellor of Nkumba University and has held leadership positions within Rotary International.
At the time of his appointment, Katongole said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve and pledged to bring his decades of experience in entrepreneurship, leadership and public service to the role.
URA has continued implementing measures to improve tax compliance and revenue collection, including a taxpayer compliance risk management strategy for the 2026/27 financial year.
Katongole’s departure therefore comes only months into a tenure that began as the authority pursued ambitious revenue-collection and tax-compliance targets.
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