The Appeals Tribunal of the PPDA has dismissed a case brought by Goldstar Insurance against the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC). The tribunal said in its ruling on August 12 that the insurance firm’s application was filed too late, making it invalid under the law.
The case started from a dispute over a procurement process at UNOC. UNOCÂ wanted an insurance firm to provide Group Personal Accident cover for its employees and called for bids.
Goldstar Insurance, owned by tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia, put in a bid alongside 10 other insurance firms.
Upon conclusion of the evaluation process, UNOC picked Britam Insurance Uganda Limited as best bidder and signed a Shs 584 million insurance deal with it.
Unsatisfied with UNOC’s decision, Goldstar challenged it in the PPDA Appeals Tribunal. But it was too little, too late.
According to the tribunal’s ruling, Goldstar should have filed their complaint within 10 days of UNOC’s decision. Instead it was filed way late meaning it had no legal effect. The deadline for Goldstar was July 14, 2025. But Goldstar only filed its application on July 25, 2025 – 11 days late.
In its ruling, the tribunal stressed that the timelines in the PPDA Act are strict and must be followed.
“They cannot be extended or ignored, even if there are reasons for the delay,” the tribunal ruled.
As a result, the tribunal struck out Goldstar’s application, meaning the case was thrown out without looking at the main issues of the dispute.
Goldstar Insurance, founded in 1996, is one of Uganda’s top general insurance providers. UNOC, on the other hand, is a state-owned company responsible for managing Uganda’s oil resources, including storage, transportation, and marketing. Neither Goldstar nor UNOC has commented publicly on the ruling yet.
