Entebbe, Uganda – Police in Entebbe have arrested several senior and junior government officials following coordinated raids on the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Makerere University Business School (MUBS), and Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, in a sweeping anti-corruption operation targeting illegal recruitment and financial mismanagement in public institutions.
The high-profile crackdown, led by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) under the command of Director Tom Magambo, follows a directive from President Yoweri Museveni ordering the dismissal of 152 CAA employees allegedly hired through corrupt and irregular processes.
During Monday’s raids, several officials were arrested and later charged by the Anti-Corruption Court. At the CAA, the following individuals are facing charges of abuse of office, corruption, and causing financial loss: Jennifer Otit Okaka, Manager of Human Resources; Joseph Joel Okwalinga, Manager of Legal Services; and Irene Atukunda Kagume, a midwife attached to the Authority. Criminal summons have been issued for Okwalinga and Kagume after they failed to appear in court.
At Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, four staff members are also under investigation for similar offenses: Waliyah Nalweyiso, Senior Accountant; Paul Kikulwe, Human Resource Officer; and former enrolled nurses Grace Kibanda and Lawrence Katumba. Summons were issued for Kibanda and Katumba after they missed their scheduled hearings. Their case has been adjourned to August 21, 2025.
Police also issued a criminal summons for Prof. Waswa Balunywa, former Principal of MUBS, after failing to locate him during a raid at the university. Balunywa is accused of abuse of office for allegedly recruiting unqualified individuals into administrative positions between February and April 2023, resulting in significant financial loss to the government. Jacqueline Namaganda, the former Acting Director of Human Resources at MUBS—now serving as Chief Quality Assurance Officer—has also been charged with neglect of duty for her role in facilitating the unlawful appointments.
These developments follow a June 25, 2025 letter from President Museveni to Works Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, in which he condemned widespread corruption within the CAA and called for the immediate dismissal of 152 improperly recruited staff members. The President cited several incidents of mismanagement, including a case where a passenger was trapped in a faulty elevator at Entebbe International Airport for four minutes, describing it as “an embarrassment” and a reflection of systemic failure.
This crackdown comes after months of public anger, fueled by viral social media videos showing airport staff soliciting bribes from travelers. In some cases, passengers were reportedly charged up to $500 to pass through checkpoints, while one staff member allegedly received $10,000 to facilitate illegal travel to Brazil.
In response, the CAA implemented reforms in early 2024, including banning mobile phones for on-duty staff, mandating official uniforms and ID badges, reducing the number of passenger checkpoints from 12 to 5, and strengthening access control within airport premises. The State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government also intervened, leading to the suspension or dismissal of more than two dozen employees implicated in misconduct.
Despite the CAA’s public denials and quiet layoffs of some junior staff, the arrests signal that the government’s anti-corruption campaign is intensifying. President Museveni’s directive has been copied to the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Education Minister, signaling the urgency of tackling corruption across key sectors.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Uganda Police have confirmed that investigations are still ongoing, and more arrests and charges are expected in the coming weeks.
