KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has moved to remove Jenifer Bamuturaki as Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines, following a high-level State House meeting that examined governance failures, disputed aircraft procurement decisions and mounting financial losses at the national carrier.
The decision, now communicated internally to staff, comes as the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit intensify probes into alleged abuse of office, embezzlement and false accounting involving airline officials.
In an internal email circulated to employees on Monday, Bamuturaki confirmed that the airline’s board would soon advertise the position of CEO, a clear indication that her tenure is drawing to a close.
“The Board will advertise the position of Chief Executive Officer shortly, and you are all encouraged to apply if you meet the required qualifications,” Bamuturaki said in an internal memo seen by Vivid Voice News.
State House confrontation
According to multiple government and airline sources, the turning point came during a closed-door State House meeting in September 2025, attended by President Museveni, the Uganda Airlines board and senior management.
The meeting reviewed unresolved red flags including contested fleet procurement decisions, repeated audit warnings, revenue leakages and growing law-enforcement interest in the airline’s financial operations.
During the meeting, Museveni reportedly ordered Bamuturaki to leave.
“Go away, I don’t want to see you,” said a charged Museveni.
“Leave, you, go away,” he added before Bamuturaki exited the meeting.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the President was dissatisfied with management’s explanations and concluded that confidence in the CEO had been severely eroded.
While no immediate public action followed, officials say the encounter effectively sealed Bamuturaki’s fate. Museveni later declined to endorse an extension of her term and advised the board to advertise the CEO position.
Criminal probe deepens
The leadership shake-up now coincides with a formal criminal investigation.
In a letter dated January 7, 2026, CID wrote to Uganda Airlines requesting extensive procurement, banking and revenue records. The correspondence was copied to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, highlighting the gravity of the inquiry.
“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 letter states.
CID requested documents including contracts committee minutes approving the acquisition of Boeing aircraft, procurement files for fuel suppliers, leasing firms and ticketing agents, revenue and banking records, internal audit reports, and expenditure linked to the launch of the airline’s London route.
Audit red flags and financial losses
The September State House meeting also examined heavy financial losses incurred under the current management.
A special audit found that more than $9.2 million (about Shs35 billion) in service fees continued to be charged to passengers after the levy was officially scrapped in July 2023.
Auditors reported no evidence the funds were banked, raising concerns about possible misappropriation.
Ticketing operations were also flagged. Audits indicated that agencies linked to airline staff, including Nyanza Tours and Travel, controlled more than 90% of deeply discounted ticket classes, potentially suppressing revenue and breaching conflict-of-interest rules.
Fuel procurement contracts and aircraft leasing arrangements were similarly cited as areas of concern.
Why Museveni intervened
Officials say the President’s intervention reflects growing frustration that governance failures at a young, taxpayer-funded national airline persisted despite repeated warnings from auditors and technocrats.
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“By September, the issues were no longer isolated incidents,” one senior official said. “There was a clear pattern, disputed procurement, missing revenue and weak oversight. That is when the President lost confidence in management.”
Uganda Airlines was relaunched in 2019 as a flagship national project and has received substantial public funding.
What comes next
Investigations by CID and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit are ongoing. Neither Bamuturaki nor Uganda Airlines has issued a detailed public response to the allegations.
Bamuturaki has previously denied wrongdoing, maintaining that management decisions were consistent with the airline’s business development strategy.
For Uganda Airlines, the impending leadership change marks a critical moment as authorities seek to determine what went wrong, how much public money may have been lost, and who bears responsibility.
