Panic as Uganda’s President orders sacking of over 150 Entebbe airport staff over Corruption

President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) to dismiss at least 152 staff members who were hired despite not being qualified.

According to the president, the staff members in question secured their jobs through corruption, which has led to “serious inefficiencies” at Entebbe International Airport.

“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. As a consequence, serious inefficiencies cause problems that must not be allowed to continue. One glaring, embarrassing problem was, for instance, for Maama Maria Nyerere, being trapped in an archaic lift for four minutes. Some investigation was carried out, and 152 unqualified staff were identified. All these must be sacked, and so should those who recruited them. I demand immediate action,” President Museveni’s letter addressed to Works and Transport Minister, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala reads.

The June 25, 2025 letter, a copy of which was seen by this publication, is also copied to the Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the First Lady, who serves as the Minister of Education and Sports, among others.

Mr Museveni’s letter comes amid growing concerns and complaints of extortion and incompetence that some times leads to missed flights at Uganda’s only international Airport, although UCCA boasts of growing arrivals and departing passengers.

The airport managers have, in response, dismissed the allegations or promised to conduct investigations further.

By press time, UCCA was not readily available to comment on the president’s letter, but in one of the statements they issued recently, the aviation authority said it does not in any way condone such acts (extortion) and that where such incidents have happened, it is “highly regrettable and unacceptable.”

“It is important for the public to know that while UCAA facilitates operations at Entebbe International Airport, this is done in liaison with several independent providers of key services, including, but not limited to Immigration, handling agents (NAS and DAS), airlines, Ministry of Health through port health, Security agencies, URA customs, and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Labour externalization agents), among others,” UCCA said.

Last week, there was public outcry over a new Karibuni Lounge, reportedly designed to elevate passenger comfort and meet the demands of modern air travel. The lounge, according to UCCA, was meant to boost an array of amenities, including increased seating capacity, modern amenities, and improved accessibility.

The expansion aimed to provide a world-class experience for travelers, aligning with the airport’s broader improvement program.

However, frequent travelers accused the airport managers of providing substandard facilities, and called on them to “stop embarrassing the Pearl of Africa” with poor and cheap facilities.

In a July 6, 2025 statement, the UCAA’s Manager Public Affairs, Mr Vianney Luggya said the interior design and furnishing of the lounge were undertaken by the management of Karibuni Lounge, a privately operated facility.

“…as the airport operator, we remain committed to working closely with all our concessionaires and stakeholders to ensure that services and aesthetics meet the high standards our passengers look forward to. We have seriously taken note of the concerns regarding the furniture colours and layout and pledge to engage the concessionaire to align with and implement the required improvements. We urge members of the public to remain calm. The Authority is committed to continuously improving the passenger experience at Entebbe International Airport and greatly values your engagement,” he added.

While launching the lounge early this month, UCAA director general, Mr Fred Bamwesigye revdealed that in May 2025, Entebbe International Airport recorded 97,568 arriving passengers and 100,484 departing passengers, a total of 198,052 passengers, with an average of 6,388 arrivals and departures per day.

While cargo, the Airport handled 4,085 metric tonnes of exports and 1,797 metric tonnes of imports in May 2025, for a combined total of 5,882 metric tonnes.