Ugandan diplomat Eriya Tusubira, recently recalled from Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja, is facing fresh scrutiny over an alleged undisclosed private legal-services contract with the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) while he was serving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Documents reviewed indicate that Tusubira was retained by the Uganda office of WICS in his “individual and private capacity” as an advocate under a contract running from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2020.
The agreement provided for a monthly retainer of US$400, amounting to US$4,800 over 12 months if paid in full. Litigation, travel, disbursements and assignments outside Kampala were to attract additional charges.
The arrangement has raised questions about whether Tusubira disclosed his financial interest to his supervisors and whether he obtained the necessary authorisation to undertake private legal work while serving as a government official.
It also raises questions about potential conflicts of interest because WICS was, at the time, operating under a formal relationship with the Ugandan government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Private lawyer to an organisation dealing with his ministry
The documents show that WICS retained Tusubira to provide a broad range of legal services.
His responsibilities included advising the organisation on legal matters, preparing legal briefs, drafting contracts and correspondence, handling property transactions and representing WICS during negotiations, meetings, mediation and arbitration.
The contract also restricted WICS from engaging another provider for similar legal services during the period of the retainer.
It was signed by Tusubira and WICS Uganda Country Director Saleh Ahmed Ashour.
The agreement came only months after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and WICS signed a host-country agreement in April 2019, formally recognising the organisation’s operations in Uganda.
The documents reviewed do not independently establish what role, if any, Tusubira played in negotiating, drafting or processing that host-country agreement.
However, officials familiar with the matter allege that Tusubira did not disclose the private retainer to his superiors and did not declare his financial interest in WICS.
That allegation requires formal verification, including examination of ministry records, correspondence and any declarations or approvals that may have been filed at the time.
Public-service rules on conflicts of interest
The questions surrounding the contract are significant because Uganda’s public-service rules require officials to ensure that private interests do not interfere with their official responsibilities.
The Uganda Public Service Standing Orders and the accompanying Code of Conduct and Ethics require public officers to put the public interest ahead of personal interests and avoid circumstances in which their private interests conflict with their official duties.
Section 4.6 of the Code of Conduct specifically addresses conflicts of interest and requires an officer who has a personal interest capable of creating such a conflict to inform his or her supervisor of the nature and extent of that interest.
The Standing Orders applicable at the time also placed obligations on public officers to maintain professional integrity, avoid using public office for personal benefit and obtain appropriate authority before undertaking outside activities that could interfere with their official responsibilities.
Tusubira’s alleged failure to disclose the WICS retainer therefore raises a central question: Did he obtain the necessary permission and disclose the private arrangement to the ministry?
A disciplinary or administrative inquiry could establish whether the contract breached public-service regulations and whether Tusubira’s official duties overlapped with the interests of his private client.
Questions over official dealings with WICS
The most serious issue is not necessarily the value of the retainer, but the potential overlap between Tusubira’s public responsibilities and his private legal engagement.
If he participated in official ministry business involving WICS while simultaneously receiving money from the organisation as its private lawyer, investigators could examine whether this created an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
Sources familiar with the matter say a disciplinary hearing should examine Tusubira’s assignments at the ministry during the period, his dealings with WICS and whether his private relationship with the organisation affected—or appeared capable of affecting—his official decisions.
Importantly, the available documents do not by themselves establish that Tusubira improperly influenced any government decision or that the contract resulted in financial loss to the government.
Abuja controversy
The new questions surrounding Tusubira come months after he became embroiled in a separate dispute at Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja.
On May 8, 2026, 17 locally recruited employees reportedly staged a protest at the mission over alleged delays in the payment of their salaries.
Tusubira, who was then serving as First Secretary and accounting officer, reportedly called Nigerian police to the mission to deal with the protest.
The police intervention escalated tensions, with footage of the confrontation subsequently circulating publicly.
The decision to deploy police was reportedly taken without prior consultation with ministry headquarters in Kampala.
Following the incident, Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire removed Tusubira from his accounting-officer responsibilities.
He was later recalled to Kampala amid inquiries into administrative disputes and allegations surrounding the running of the mission.
Bagiire directed Tusubira to return to Kampala by August 31, 2026.
The recall, however, does not constitute a finding of misconduct or establish the allegations against him.
Earlier corruption concerns at Abuja mission
The controversy also comes against the backdrop of previous investigations involving Uganda’s diplomatic mission in Nigeria.
In July 2024, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, working with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, reportedly requested documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of inquiries involving officials at the High Commission in Abuja.
The investigations reportedly touched on allegations including the suspected misuse of funds meant for construction of Uganda’s chancery in Abuja and irregular foreign-exchange transactions.
The authorities’ inquiries illustrate the broader scrutiny that Uganda’s foreign missions have faced over financial management, accountability and administrative conduct.
What remains to be established
Tusubira’s private WICS retainer now raises another set of questions for the Foreign Affairs Ministry and public-service authorities.
Investigators would need to establish whether the contract was declared, whether approval for the outside legal work was obtained, what official responsibilities Tusubira held inThis is a strong investigative draft. The main issue is that several allegations—particularly the undisclosed contract, conflict of interest, and Abuja misconduct—should be clearly attributed and presented as matters requiring investigation rather than established wrongdoing.
