LIST: 82 UCAA Staff recalled over forged papers as Museveni directive takes full effect

Kampala, Uganda: At least 82 employees of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) are on the verge of dismissal after being implicated in a massive academic forgery scandal, an explosive development triggered by President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to clean up the embattled aviation sector.

In a hard-hitting letter dated June 25, 2025, the President ordered the Minister of Works and Transport to dismiss all staff found with forged documents and take action against those who recruited them.

“Some investigation was carried out and 152 unqualified staff were identified,” the President wrote. “These must be sacked, and so should those who recruited them.”

According to internal records seen by DailyExpress, disciplinary hearings have already been conducted for most of the 82 staff flagged, following a painstaking verification of over 2,688 academic documents. The purge is one of the largest internal cleanups in recent Ugandan public service history.

UCAA Boss Bamwesigye targeted

In a related development, a whistleblower dossier now circulating in top government circles is pinning UCAA Director General Mr. Fred Bamwesigye Kanyangoga, who previously served as Director of Human Resources for the mess in the recruitment saga.

The report accuses Bamwesigye of irregular recruitment and even questions his own credentials, citing multiple dates of birth on official documents and irregularities in his Primary Leaving Examination records. The claims suggest he manipulated age limits to secure his position.

However, UCAA has dismissed these allegations as “baseless and recycled.” “In April 2021, a recycled anonymous whistleblower report was sent to the Inspectorate of Government over the same claims… comprehensively investigated and found to be untrue,” the Authority said in a rebuttal.

They added that Civil Suit No. 110 of 2021 had already exonerated Mr. Bamwesigye, with a court ruling issued on April 9, 2021, and clarified that inconsistencies in his early documentation were later corrected.

The sacking of the 152 staff now threatens to create serious operational disruptions in departments such as aviation security, air navigation, fire rescue, finance, and technical operations. Internal memos show concern over losing skilled personnel whose training has cost the Authority considerable resources.

An insider familiar with the ongoing process told DailyExpress that some of the implicated names are relatives of powerful political figures, further complicating disciplinary action and raising questions of potential interference.

“We are mindful of the time and resources invested in training some of these individuals, but the standards of integrity in the aviation sector cannot be compromised,” read part of a UCAA internal memo.

The current purge is seen as a litmus test for President Museveni’s commitment to merit-based public service reforms, coming in the wake of growing public outrage over corruption and impunity within statutory bodies.