The Insurance Appeals Tribunal has officially been launched with calls for reducing case backlog in the insurance sector.
Speaking at the launch ceremony held in Kampala, the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA) Executive Director, Alhaj Kaddunabbi Ibrahim Lubega, said the long-awaited Appeals Tribunal provides an accessible and efficient alternative to any person dissatisfied with the decision of IRA to appeal instead of going through the lengthy and costly court process as it has been.
Kaddunabbi who also represented the Acting Minister for Finance, Henry Musasizi, noted that the Tribunal will provide an independent and impartial dispute resolution given the mandate that has been bestowed upon it by the law.
“The Appeals Tribunal will definitely go a long way to enhancing trust and confidence in the insurance complaints management mechanism,” Kaddunabbi said.
“We are optimistic that with the Appeals Tribunal in place to provide a quality assurance check. The public’s confidence in the entire process will be enhanced,” he added.
Kaddunabbi noted that the tribunal is ideal since it is now functioning, “and it has the potential to handle disputes in the insurance sector before any aggrieved party”.
He revealed that the Tribunal will also help streamline, sanitize and ensure that IRA does not go beyond board, clarifying that the mechanism shall also reduce the case backlog that has affected the sector.
“The government accepts diligence and hard work from the Tribunal to ensure patience and avoid backlogging the system. We are pleased to learn that the tribunal set up in March this year, has already handled one appeal and he has recorded a second one which is already filed pending the fourth,” he said.
Currently at IRA, there are 50 on-going disputes on different mechanisms at all levels of insurance contracts. So far, one has been handled in the tribunal and the second one is awaiting handling while 24 are in the commercial court.
Rita Namakiika Nangono, the Chairperson the Insurance Appeals Tribunal, said the tribunal is given not less than 90 days to give its ruling and this will help ease and resolve cases but also avoid courts which tend to take a lot of time to make decisions.
She noted that the role of the Tribunal in the system of administrative law is to review administrative decisions on the merits: that is to consider afresh the facts and law relevant to a decision under review and decide whether that decision should be affirmed, varied or set aside.
“I am confident that the Tribunal will offer independent, fair and high-quality review of administrative decisions for the good of the insurance industry and the country at large,” she said.
Members of the Tribunal Include:
Rita Namakiika Nangono-Chairperson the Insurance Appeals Tribunal
1. Mr. George Steven Okotha – Member
2. Mrs. Solome Mayinja Luwaga – Member
3. Dr. John Bbale Mayanja – Member
4. Mrs. Ada Kabarokola Muwanga – Member
5. Mr. Isaac Mpanga – Registrar.
