Uganda Airlines Faces Imminent International Ban Amid Safety and Financial Crisis
Uganda’s national carrier, Uganda Airlines, is at risk of being grounded or banned from international skies within months due to severe mismanagement, financial misconduct, and alleged safety violations, veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has warned.
Speaking on Monday, Mwenda stated that unless drastic changes are made within the next three months, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) will be compelled to ground the airline’s fleet—or risk a global blacklisting by international regulators for breaching International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules.
The airline is accused of operating in violation of ICAO competition and safety standards. One of the most pressing concerns is the reported non-payment of service providers, including those critical to aircraft safety.
“The aviation industry is so risky that any slight mistake, hundreds of people will fall out of the sky and die. Safety is so paramount that the industry is heavily regulated,” Mwenda emphasised.
Further alarming claims involve the maintenance of the fleet. Mwenda revealed a practice of “cannibalisation,” where parts are being stripped from grounded aircraft to keep others operational.
“We have 4 CRJs and this woman (CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki) cannot even organise to buy spare parts… they have grounded one and they are cannibalising it for spare parts. I have never seen anything like that,” he stated.
Operationally, the airline is said to be critically overstretched. With only two wide-body aircraft servicing demanding long-haul routes to London, Dubai, Mumbai, Lagos, and Abuja, any mechanical issue causes massive disruptions, leaving passengers stranded for days instead of hours.
This logistical failure is compounded by what Mwenda describes as a leadership vacuum: “You have a board that doesn’t function, you have a parliament that cannot exercise oversight, you have a minister who is not capable of making a decision and a president who is absent.”
Financially, the carrier is alleged to be in a state of collapse. It reportedly owes the UCAA approximately $70 million in passenger taxes and fees collected from ticket sales but not remitted—an act Mwenda characterised as “theft.”
The warnings follow recent reports that President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to prosecute senior officials at Uganda Airlines after an audit uncovered widespread corruption, contract irregularities, nepotism, and revenue misappropriation. Those implicated include board chair Perez Ahabwe and other senior management.
As the three-month window begins, the future of Uganda Airlines hangs in the balance, with the potential for a devastating international ban if urgent and radical reforms are not implemented.
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