Bamuturaki (L), hanging out with Among and Tayebwa, Parliament’s speaker and deputy Speaker respectively
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Uganda Police have formally launched criminal investigations against the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines, Jennifer Bamuturaki, and the national carrier as scrutiny intensifies over alleged mismanagement, procurement irregularities and financial leakages at the taxpayer-funded airline.
In a letter dated January 7, 2026, the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) wrote to Uganda Airlines demanding extensive procurement, revenue and banking records as part of an ongoing probe being conducted jointly with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
The letter, which was also copied to the Head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, underscores the seriousness of the investigation.
“The Criminal Investigations Directorate in liaison with State House Anti-Corruption Unit is currently investigating a case of abuse of office, embezzlement of funds and false accounting against officials of Uganda Airlines relating to financial transactions,” the CID letter states.
Aircraft purchase faulted
Investigators have requested a wide range of documents, including Contracts Committee minutes approving the purchase of Boeing aircraft, procurement files for fuel suppliers, aircraft leasing firms and ticketing agents, as well as detailed revenue accounting records, banking statements, cash-receipt documentation and internal audit reports.
CID is also scrutinising expenditure linked to the launch of the airline’s London route, one of the carrier’s flagship international expansions.
The criminal probe follows mounting concerns raised at a closed-door State House meeting held in September 2025, where President Yoweri Museveni reviewed significant financial losses and governance failures accumulated under the current management.
Multiple sources familiar with the meeting say unresolved audit findings, disputed procurement decisions and weak oversight featured prominently in the discussions.
A special audit presented to State House reportedly found that more than $ 9.2 million (about Shs 35 billion) in service fees continued to be charged to passengers long after management announced the levy had been scrapped in July 2023. Auditors said there was no evidence that the money collected was ever banked, raising red flags over possible misappropriation.
High placed sources disclosed that ticketing operations were also flagged after audits showed that agencies linked to airline staff — including Nyanza Tours and Travel — controlled more than 90 percent of deeply discounted ticket classes.
Investigators believe this may have suppressed airline revenues and breached conflict-of-interest rules, further weakening the carrier’s financial position.
Fuel procurement contracts and aircraft leasing arrangements were similarly identified as high-risk areas, with investigators examining whether procurement processes were properly followed and whether the airline obtained value for money.
Queries raised
Officials say the President’s growing frustration stemmed from the fact that governance failures and financial leakages persisted despite repeated warnings from auditors, technocrats and oversight bodies.
Sources further disclosed that matters of contention include disputed procurement, missing revenue and weak oversight.
During the September State House meeting, where President Museveni reportedly cut short explanations from management and directly asked Bamuturaki to leave the room, an unusually blunt signal of dissatisfaction.
Although no immediate public action followed, sources say the meeting marked a turning point that triggered intensified law-enforcement scrutiny and eventual leadership changes.
The President later declined to endorse the extension of Bamuturaki’s tenure and encouraged the Uganda Airlines Board to advertise the CEO position.
In an internal email circulated to staff this week, Bamuturaki confirmed that the Board would soon advertise the post, effectively signalling the end of her tenure.
Parliamentary Probe
The governance and financial troubles now engulfing Uganda Airlines did not emerge overnight. Their roots can be traced back to early warning signs raised by Parliament more than three years ago, following a damning report by the Auditor General that exposed deep-seated weaknesses in the airline’s management systems.
Between August and September 2022, Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), led by Nakawa West Member of Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi, conducted a month-long investigation into Uganda Airlines after the Auditor General’s report for the Financial Year 2020/21 flagged serious financial and human resource mismanagement.
The audit painted a troubling picture of a young national carrier struggling with basic governance structures. Among the irregularities cited were corruption and abuse of office, absence of clear job grades, lack of an approved strategic plan, poor management of contract files and the mismanagement of at least 25 procurement processes, allegedly aimed at defrauding the government.
Auditors also raised concerns about weak internal controls and inadequate oversight, warning that these failures exposed the airline to financial losses and operational risk at a time when it was heavily dependent on taxpayer funding.
During the COSASE probe, the Committee zeroed in on the airline’s leadership, including then newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki and several senior officers. The legislators questioned their integrity, competence and whether they possessed the requisite qualifications and experience to steer the national flagship and cargo carrier toward sustainable operations.
The Committee heard evidence suggesting that key management decisions were being taken without clear policy guidance, approved plans or proper documentation, setting the stage for disputed procurement choices and accountability gaps that would later resurface in audits and investigations.
Ssenyonyi, who chaired the probe, said the findings demonstrated that the airline’s problems were structural and leadership-driven rather than isolated administrative lapses. He warned at the time that unless corrective action was taken early, Uganda Airlines risked sliding into persistent mismanagement and financial distress.
However, despite the seriousness of the findings, the COSASE report appears to have stalled within Parliament. Ssenyonyi has since publicly questioned the fate of the report, saying it was formally submitted to the Speaker of Parliament and the Clerk in September 2022.
“For some time now, several people have been asking me what happened to the Uganda Airlines report,” Ssenyonyi said, expressing frustration at the lack of follow-up. He added that Speaker Anita Among had repeatedly told him she was still studying the report and would provide feedback.
“All this while, Speaker Among has been saying she is studying the report and that she will give feedback,” Ssenyonyi remarked.
With police investigations now underway into alleged abuse of office, embezzlement and false accounting at Uganda Airlines, the 2022 COSASE probe has taken on renewed significance. What was once a parliamentary warning has evolved into a criminal matter, raising questions about whether earlier action on the audit findings and Committee recommendations could have prevented the governance crisis now facing the national carrier.
For critics, the stalled report represents a missed opportunity to correct course early — and a stark reminder of how unresolved oversight failures can snowball into full-blown institutional breakdown.
Management experience
Bamuturaki’s career stretched back nearly 30 years. She started out as a guest relations officer at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel. Most of her career has been in marketing, in the hospitality and travel industries. When the defunct Air Uganda was formed in 2007, Bamuturaki joined and worked in the sales and later in the marketing departments.
In 2019, when the government of Uganda revived Uganda Airlines, Bamuturaki was hired as the commercial manager of the new airline. However, after the probationary period ended, she was not given a long-term contract. She left the airline to pursue other business interests c. March 2020.
Following the suspension and interdiction of the entire board of directors and many senior management executives at the airline in April 2021, the shareholders recalled Bamuturaki and made her the acting CEO.
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