Former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Principal, Prof. Waswa Balunywa, 68, has been remanded to Luzira Prison after being formally charged with multiple counts of abuse of office in a corruption case stemming from irregular staff appointments during his tenure.
Appearing before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on September 2, 2024, Balunywa denied all charges.
He was charged alongside Jacqueline Namaganda, the institution’s Acting Human Resource Director, with offences related to the recruitment of unqualified individuals that allegedly cost the government millions of shillings.
Prosecutors allege that between February and April 2023, Balunywa unlawfully recruited three administrative assistants, James Arike, Nathan Nuwagira, and Nimrod Kakayi, without the requisite academic qualifications.
The appointments, carried out outside the formal procedures of the university’s Appointments Board, are said to have imposed “ineligible costs” on the government.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo, sanctioned the charges, which were filed after investigations by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) at Kibuli.
The charge sheet, dated February 20, 2025, outlines three counts of abuse of office against Balunywa under the Anti-Corruption Act, Cap 116, and three counts of neglect of duty against Namaganda under the Penal Code Act.
In a separate case, Balunywa is accused of irregularly recruiting approximately 200 staff members between 2020 and 2023, again allegedly bypassing the university’s official hiring procedures.
These charges form the basis of a second file under which he also faces prosecution.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze, his lawyers, Shamim Nalule and Asuman Matovu, applied for bail, citing his voluntary court appearance, Ugandan citizenship, and provision of a passport and land title as surety.
Among those who offered themselves as sureties were prominent individuals, including Balunywa’s brother Muhammed Ngoma, Vice Chancellor of Kampala International University; Prof. Sudi Nangoli, Managing Director of Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation; and Ali Balunywa, his son and Sales Director at Airtel Uganda.
The prosecution, led by Principal Assistant DPP Caroline Nabaasa, objected to the bail application, arguing that the sureties were either too personally connected to the accused or younger than him, raising doubts about their ability to ensure his return to court. The court also noted that Balunywa only appeared after a criminal summons had been issued.
The magistrate ruled that new sureties must be presented for the second file and remanded Balunywa until September 5, when the court will deliver its ruling on the bail application and proceed with the hearing on both cases.
Namaganda, Balunywa’s co-accused in the first case, was granted a shs4 million cash bail las week. She is accused of neglecting her duty to vet the three appointees’ qualifications prior to their hiring.
The case is part of a broader government crackdown on irregular public service recruitment. Authorities say the alleged actions by Balunywa and Namaganda are linked to a wider corruption investigation involving over 30 suspects and a reported financial loss of shs53 billion across public agencies including the Uganda Police Force and Civil Aviation Authority.
