The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) is increasingly using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and its quasi-judicial powers to resolve commercial disputes without forcing businesses into lengthy and costly court battles.
The move, highlighted in the newly published URSB Case Digest, Volume II, 2026, is aimed at strengthening the business environment by providing companies and other stakeholders with a faster and more accessible avenue for resolving disputes.
The second edition of the Case Digest contains selected decisions made by the URSB Registrar alongside relevant court decisions, offering businesses, lawyers, regulators and other practitioners insight into how laws administered by the Bureau are interpreted and applied.
In his foreword to the publication, URSB Board chairman Rt Hon Amb Francis K Butagira said the Bureau’s quasi-judicial function was increasingly important in resolving disputes and protecting the interests of businesses and the public.
“Through the Registrar’s quasi-judicial function, the Bureau continues to provide an accessible and efficient mechanism for resolving disputes, correcting registry irregularities, and protecting the legitimate interests of both businesses and the public,” Butagira said.
The publication comes at a time when disputes over company ownership, shareholding, management and governance can disrupt business operations and undermine investor confidence.
URSB Registrar General Mercy K Kainobwisho said unresolved commercial disputes can have significant economic consequences.
“Through the quasi-judicial powers of the Registrar under the relevant laws, URSB provides an accessible, affordable, and efficient forum for dispute resolution,” Kainobwisho said.
She said the Bureau has adopted ADR and other administrative mechanisms to reduce the time and costs associated with resolving commercial disputes.
The approach is particularly relevant to disputes involving intellectual property ownership, company shareholding and management, governance and membership, which often have implications beyond the parties directly involved.
The Case Digest illustrates the breadth of matters handled under the Registrar’s quasi-judicial mandate, including shareholder disputes, unlawful share transfers, company governance, rectification of company registers and minority oppression.
In one of the cases featured in the publication, the Registrar ordered the rectification of a company register after determining that documents purportedly appointing a director and allotting shares had not been validly authorised.
The decision illustrates the Bureau’s role in protecting the integrity of company records, which are critical to determining ownership, control and other legal interests in businesses.
Beyond resolving individual disputes, URSB says the publication is intended to promote consistency and predictability in the application of commercial law.
By making selected decisions available to the public, the digest provides businesses and legal practitioners with a reference point for understanding how the Registrar approaches disputes involving corporate governance, compliance, insolvency and intellectual property.
