Pearl Bank puts legal and cyber veterans at the centre of its expansion

Steven Mwesige helped reshape Pearl Bank’s cybersecurity work after rejoining the lender in 2020. Now he is taking the role permanently at the top of that function. Alongside him, Dorcas Balimukuubo Kiwemba brings more than 14 years of financial-services experience to the bank’s legal leadership. Their appointments place two experienced specialists in charge of legal oversight and digital protection as the Ugandan bank prepares for its next phase of expansion.

Pearl Bank named Kiwemba chief legal officer and company secretary and confirmed Mwesige as chief information security officer, according to The Independent Uganda (direct). The appointments follow the bank’s rebranding and are intended to support its market expansion. Kiwemba joined in June 2026, while Mwesige’s confirmation came in July 2026 after a year as acting head of information security.

A security role built from within

Mwesige has more than 15 years of experience across technology, cybersecurity and enterprise risk management—the work of identifying and overseeing risks across an organisation. Since returning to Pearl Bank, he has strengthened its cybersecurity function and led its achievement of ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and PCI DSS certifications. These cover information-security management and payment-card data security, respectively, and form part of the security record he brings to the permanent post.

His progression through the bank included responsibility for ICT security and data protection from September 2020 to February 2024, followed by leadership of ICT security and governance until June 2025. He then served as acting chief information security officer from July 2025 to June 2026. His earlier career included roles at Bank of Africa Uganda, Summit Consulting and the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda, as well as an earlier spell at Pearl Bank.

Mwesige’s remit extends beyond protecting systems. His experience includes data protection, regulatory compliance and responsible artificial-intelligence governance, which concerns oversight of how AI is used. He holds an executive MBA in artificial intelligence and blockchain from Italy’s Guglielmo Marconi University and an information-technology degree from Uganda Christian University. Outside his executive role, he serves as governor of the Uganda chapter of the Global Council for Responsible AI.

Legal oversight for the next phase

Kiwemba arrives after more than eight years at Standard Chartered Bank Uganda, where she was country legal counsel and assistant company secretary. In those roles, she advised the board, management and business teams on legal and governance matters. Her new company-secretary position places board procedures and governance—the rules and oversight guiding an organisation—alongside her legal responsibilities at Pearl Bank.

Before Standard Chartered, Kiwemba held legal positions at Ecobank Uganda, including acting head of legal. She also practised at Capital Law Partners & Advocates, working on corporate, commercial, banking and litigation matters. Her background includes managing disputes and outside lawyers, advising on transactions, and supporting credit and recovery work. She holds a law degree from Makerere University and a graduate qualification from the Chartered Governance Institute in the UK and Ireland.

Together, the appointments bring legal and digital-risk oversight into focus during Pearl Bank’s post-rebranding expansion. The next point to watch is how these two functions support that phase: Kiwemba through board advice, compliance and legal risk management, and Mwesige through information security, data protection and technology-risk oversight.