BREAKING: Security Under Scrutiny After Burnt Body Found on Entebbe Airport Runway
ENTEBBE – Ugandan authorities have launched an investigation following the shocking discovery of an unidentified man’s body on the runway of Entebbe International Airport, raising serious concerns about security at the nation’s primary aviation gateway.
According to a police incident report, the body was found early on February 6 at Apron 1 of the airport. Control tower personnel detected the remains at approximately 5:00 a.m. and immediately alerted aviation police.
Preliminary findings suggest the adult male, who was carrying no identification, may have been struck by an aircraft. Investigators reported the victim sustained fresh burn wounds to his face and stomach, and it is believed he may have been pulled by the force of a departing or landing plane. Authorities suspect the individual trespassed into the highly restricted airside area during nighttime hours.
A security source confirmed to ChimpReports that teams had been searching for an intruder seen in the zone prior to the discovery. “Our security teams discovered a dead body of an unknown adult male at Apron 1 runway,” the source stated.
The body has been transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital for a postmortem examination as forensic and intelligence teams work to determine the man’s identity and how he breached the secured perimeter.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) had not issued an official statement on the incident as of Tuesday.
This incident has intensified ongoing scrutiny of perimeter security and access controls at Entebbe Airport. The concern is amplified by the substantial aviation security fee—approximately $65 (roughly 240,000–245,000 Ugandan shillings)—collected from each departing international passenger. With nearly one million international departures annually, this translates to an estimated $65 million generated each year specifically for aviation security and related infrastructure.
Passenger data underscores the airport’s critical role. UCAA figures show between January and June 2025, the airport handled 582,927 international departures and 550,439 arrivals, representing a significant increase from the same period in 2024.
Despite these growing traffic numbers and sizable fee collections, the airport has faced sporadic security lapses in recent years, including unauthorized access and theft within restricted zones.
The investigation continues, focusing on the circumstances of the breach and any potential failures in security protocols. The incident is likely to prompt questions from regulators and lawmakers about the effectiveness of the security infrastructure funded by passenger fees, especially as Entebbe undergoes a major modernization project backed by Chinese loans to position itself as a regional aviation hub.
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