By Spy Uganda
What began as a clean-up of Uganda’s aviation sector has erupted into one of the country’s most sweeping anti-corruption drives in recent years, ensnaring top officials from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Makerere University Business School (MUBS), and Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital.
The coordinated police raids — ordered by President Yoweri Museveni and executed by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) under Director Tom Magambo — have sent a blunt warning across government: entrenched networks of illegal recruitment and financial mismanagement will no longer be ignored.
The President’s directive followed months of mounting public frustration over misconduct at Entebbe International Airport, where viral videos showed staff allegedly extorting travelers. But the scope of the current purge has widened far beyond airport gates, exposing systemic abuse in other public institutions.
At the heart of the operation is the dismissal of 152 CAA employees allegedly hired through corrupt channels — a decision Museveni said was necessary to “restore credibility and efficiency.” The President’s letter to Works Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, also copied to the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Education Minister, cited not only bribery but also failures in service delivery, including an embarrassing incident where a passenger was trapped in a faulty airport elevator.
The Anti-Corruption Court has already charged senior CAA figures, including Manager of Human Resources Jennifer Otit Okaka and Manager of Legal Services Joseph Joel Okwalinga, alongside midwife Irene Atukunda Kagume. Criminal summons have been issued for Okwalinga and Kagume after they failed to appear in court.
At Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, senior accountant Waliyah Nalweyiso and HR officer Paul Kikulwe are under investigation, alongside former nurses Grace Kibanda and Lawrence Katumba. All face accusations of abusing their offices for personal gain.
Meanwhile, MUBS has been thrust into the spotlight after a criminal summons was issued for its former Principal, Prof. Waswa Balunywa. He is accused of recruiting unqualified personnel into administrative posts between February and April 2023, allegedly causing significant financial loss. Former acting HR Director Jacqueline Namaganda has been charged with neglect of duty.
While the CAA has in recent months introduced reforms — banning mobile phones for on-duty staff, enforcing uniforms, cutting passenger checkpoints from 12 to 5, and tightening access control — the arrests suggest that government is no longer satisfied with quiet administrative fixes.
The involvement of multiple oversight bodies — including the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Inspectorate of Government, and the DPP — points to a broader, more coordinated campaign to purge corruption across critical service sectors.
With investigations still ongoing, police have confirmed that additional arrests are expected. The message is clear: the government’s anti-graft drive, initially triggered by scandals at the country’s busiest airport, is now testing the integrity of Uganda’s wider public service.
In the words of one senior investigator: “This is no longer just about the CAA. It’s about uprooting a culture of impunity that has eaten into every corner of our institutions.”
If you want, I can also prepare a more sensational, investigative-style rewrite that reads like an exposé, making the story even more gripping for public and social media attention. That would make the corruption network feel like a high-stakes crime drama.
