MPs Question Uganda Airlines’ Fleet Expansion and Management Amid Delays
A Member of Parliament has voiced strong reservations about Uganda Airlines’ plan to acquire ten new aircraft simultaneously, warning that the national carrier’s current management struggles could jeopardize the ambitious expansion.
Maurice Kibalya, the MP for Bugabula North, expressed his concerns during a parliamentary committee session, suggesting a more gradual approach to the airline’s fleet growth.
“I would suggest that we begin with… we say in the next ten years we are supposed to have ten. Let’s purchase three in the first one year or two, we add on another three in the other year or two… but we are purchasing ten at once,” Kibalya stated.
His comments highlight legislative apprehension about the airline’s capacity to effectively absorb and manage a large, sudden influx of new aircraft, a plan previously defended by Minister of Works and Transport Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala.
Emotional Plea for Management Overhaul
Beyond the fleet issue, Kibalya delivered an emotional critique of the airline’s current administration, appealing directly to Minister Katumba Wamala’s military background to instigate a fix.
“I am at pain,” Kibalya declared. “People have developed a love for Uganda Airlines, even when they are going on their private trips, they no longer want to use the other airline, they want to use Uganda Airlines, but the management and the team that is responsible for Uganda Airlines is not answering the love and the wishes.”
He called on the Minister to leverage his respected stature: “You are a General who is respected in this country, fix Uganda Airlines. Uganda Airlines is a problem.”
The MP further criticized the quality of information coming from the airline’s leadership, describing it as unclear and scanty during meetings. He emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “We have the soft heart that this is our baby, which we must nurture… the information must be clear whenever we are doing anything.”
Context of Ongoing Challenges
These criticisms come amid recent explanations from the airline’s CEO, Jenifer Bamuturaki, who attributed widespread flight delays and cancellations to external factors like unscheduled airport closures (“no-terms”) and an overstretched operational schedule.
While Minister Katumba has previously acknowledged the operational strain, he has assured Parliament of the airline’s capability to manage the new aircraft, arguing that the additional resources are precisely what is needed to improve performance and reliability.
The intervention by MP Kibalya, however, frames the airline’s issues not just as operational or external, but as a fundamental management challenge that threatens to erode public goodwill, demanding urgent intervention before the expansion proceeds.
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