President Museveni has directed the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala to effect the sacking of over Uganda Civil Aviation Authority(UCAA) staff over corruption.
In a June 25 letter, Museveni expressed serious concern over what he described as “massive corruption” at UCAA, particularly in the recruitment of unqualified individuals.
He said the result has been operational inefficiencies that have embarrassed the country and compromised service delivery.
“I have received information that there is massive corruption in the UCAA in terms of a number of aspects, including recruiting unqualified people for employment there,” the president wrote.
Highlighting the consequences of such malpractice, Museveni referred to a recent incident where Maria Nyerere, the widow of Tanzania’s founding president Julius Nyerere, was trapped in a lift at Entebbe International Airport for several minutes.
“One glaring embarrassing problem was, for instance, for Maama Maria Nyerere being trapped in an archaic lift for four minutes,” Museveni noted.
According to the President, an internal investigation has identified 152 staff members who do not meet the required qualifications for their roles at the UCAA.
“All these must be sacked …. I demand immediate action.”
In the same letter, Museveni directed the sacking of the senior managers who hired the above staff.
The letter was also copied to the Vice President, the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Education and Sports and Transport, signaling the gravity of the issue and the urgency of the intervention.
The president’s directive is expected to trigger a major shake-up at UCAA, an institution that has come under scrutiny in recent years for mismanagement and failure to meet international aviation standards.
