Kampala, Uganda: President Museveni has ordered a sweeping shake-up at Uganda Airlines, triggering the exit of top management officials and paving the way for an open recruitment process after weeks of public outrage over mismanagement at the country’s national carrier.
Highly placed sources familiar with deliberations at State House say the decision was driven by deep concern over governance failures at Uganda Airlines, compounded by a damning Special Auditor General’s report that exposed massive financial leakages running into hundreds of billions of shillings.
In September last year, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Bamuturaki, appeared before Museveni at State House seeking renewal of her contract after it expired in July. However, insiders say the President declined to hear any presentation from her.
Instead, Museveni reportedly informed Bamuturaki that he already had adverse intelligence on the airline’s operations and was in possession of the Auditor General’s special audit report.
According to sources briefed on the meeting, the President openly questioned the competence of the airline’s top leadership and expressed frustration that Uganda Airlines continued to hemorrhage public funds despite heavy taxpayer investment.
Rather than renewing Bamuturaki’s contract, Museveni directed that the position of Chief Executive Officer be advertised openly, insisting that a “competent Ugandan” be allowed to take charge of the struggling carrier.
He further ordered that all senior management positions be vacated and re-advertised, signalling a complete loss of confidence in the existing leadership team.
One of the appointments Museveni reportedly queried was that of Chief Commercial Officer, held by Nigerian national Adedeyo Olawig. The President is said to have questioned why foreign nationals continued to occupy senior roles when qualified Ugandans were available, a concern that reportedly extended to several other appointments made during Bamuturaki’s tenure.
Following the State House meeting, Museveni held a series of consultations with Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport and political overseer of Uganda Airlines. These meetings, sources say, focused on implementing the President’s directive to “clean house” at the national carrier.
In the months that followed, several senior managers were quietly eased out without public announcements, in what insiders describe as a “silent purge” intended to avoid public panic while restructuring the airline’s leadership.
The clearest confirmation of the leadership vacuum came this week, when Bamuturaki herself wrote to all Uganda Airlines staff, notifying them that the Board would soon advertise the CEO position. In the internal email, she encouraged qualified staff to apply once the job description and application process are published on the airline’s website.
The communication (above) effectively marked the formal end of her tenure and confirmed that the President’s directive is now being implemented.
Why the overhaul?
The overhaul comes against the backdrop of a damaging audit trail that has severely dented Uganda Airlines’ public image. The Auditor General’s special audit uncovered widespread irregularities, including undocumented fuel payments, questionable dealings with fuel supplier MixJet, refunds paid for tickets already used, untraceable ticket revenues exceeding Shs100 billion, and weak internal controls that enabled massive financial leakages.
The airline was further embarrassed internationally after its Airbus A330-800neo was grounded for nearly a week at London Gatwick Airport, stranding passengers and forcing some to seek alternative flights with competitors such as RwandAir. While management blamed flat tyres, critics said the incident symbolised deeper operational and financial weaknesses.
For Museveni, who personally championed the revival of Uganda Airlines as a symbol of national pride, the accumulation of scandals appears to have crossed a red line.
Sources say the President now wants a full reset, tighter oversight, fresh leadership and accountability for how billions of shillings in public funds were handled.
As the Board prepares to advertise the CEO position and other senior roles, attention now turns to whether the restructuring will deliver genuine reform, or merely reshuffle faces at the helm of an airline already weighed down by controversy.
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