Kampala — Medard Lubega Ssegona, Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), has come out strongly against Uganda Airlines top executives, including CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki, for dodging a scheduled accountability meeting, warning that Parliament will not hesitate to invoke tougher measures to compel compliance.
The session, slated for Tuesday, was meant to address critical findings in the Auditor General’s 2023/24 report including Uganda Airlines’ staggering UGX 237.855 billion in losses and questions surrounding the procurement of spare parts and fleet expansion. However, the airline’s team failed to appear before the committee without formal notice.
“We summoned the group through the current accounting officer who has not shown up,” Ssegona stated. “She is the one to account. Not turning up for scrutiny is a choice — and choices have consequences.”
Ssegona revealed that the committee would issue a renewed summons for Wednesday at 9:00AM, warning that failure to appear could trigger parliamentary sanctions.
He also questioned the logic behind the government’s plan to purchase eight new aircrafts amidst the airline’s unresolved accountability issues and financial woes.
Uganda Airlines Denies Snubbing Parliament
In response, Shakila Rahim Lamar, the airline’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations, denied any deliberate attempt to avoid the hearing. She cited a miscommunication over timing, saying the team arrived at Parliament at 11:30AM, expecting a 12:00PM session — a claim she said was based on earlier informal indications from the committee.
“There was a mix-up in time,” Rahim said. “The CEO and other team members had a crucial meeting for the airline at 10:00AM, so in hindsight, we truly regret the confusion. We apologize because we too are committed to resolving these issues.”
Deeper Questions on Accountability and Performance
COSASE, backed by MPs such as Allan Mayanja (Nakaseke Central), is probing beyond technical issues like spare parts availability. Mayanja noted that Uganda Airlines only implemented 12 out of 18 recommendations from the previous Treasury memorandum, and flagged multiple concerns in the performance evaluation report.
“This entity has to appear before the committee, whether by force or any means,” Mayanja emphasized.
Peter Emuge, Head of Engineering at Uganda Airlines, who appeared before COSASE on a separate day, addressed public fears about the airworthiness of the airline’s CRJ Bombardier aircraft. He explained that the delays in spare parts procurement were due to global post-COVID-19 supply chain issues — not incompetence or neglect.
Bamuturaki Defends Uganda Airlines’ Record
When she eventually appeared before COSASE on Wednesday, CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki fired back at critics particularly on social media accusing them of unfairly maligning the airline’s safety reputation.
“In five years, Uganda Airlines has injected UGX 1.2 trillion into the economy,” Bamuturaki asserted. “Our aircraft meet all international safety standards. The airline’s revenue grew from UGX 28.5 billion in 2019 to over UGX 1.2 trillion by the last financial year. That shows a clear growth trajectory.”
Despite the growth claims, the looming questions around transparency, accountability, and the viability of acquiring eight more aircrafts have left COSASE unconvinced.
