Parliament has stepped up scrutiny of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), with lawmakers taking their investigation from the committee room to the authority’s headquarters in Entebbe amid allegations of corruption, mismanagement and administrative irregularities.
The Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on Wednesday declined to proceed with a substantive interrogation of UCAA through its Deputy Director General, Olive Birungi Lumonya, after questions emerged over whether she had the legal mandate to represent the authority’s top office.
The committee, chaired by Muwada Nkunyingi, had summoned UCAA officials following concerns contained in the Auditor General’s Report for the financial year ended June 30, 2025.
The parliamentary inquiry is also examining issues arising from a July 17, 2026 presidential directive ordering the immediate retirement of several senior officials in the Works and Transport sector “in the public interest.”
The directive followed concerns raised by President Museveni over the state of affairs within the Ministry of Works and Transport and UCAA.
Among the issues highlighted were delays in road construction projects, malfunctioning scanners at Entebbe International Airport and allegations that the costs of roads being prepared for AFCON had been deliberately inflated.
The President subsequently instructed the affected officials to hand over their offices and leave immediately.
It was against this backdrop that Lumonya appeared before COSASE on Wednesday, August 19, representing UCAA.
Her appearance, however, quickly shifted the committee’s attention from the substantive allegations to the question of who had the authority to speak for the aviation regulator.
Lumonya told the legislators that she had taken over the functions of the Director General on an acting basis.
“I have been acting Director General for this position now for 33 days,” she said.
Nkunyingi then asked Lumonya to present the documents authorising her appointment as acting Director General so that the committee could establish the extent of her powers.
The request exposed a wider concern among members about the officials appearing before Parliament and whether they had been properly empowered to respond to questions involving UCAA’s finances, administration and operations.
Muwada Nkunyingi’s committee questioned whether it would be procedurally proper to continue interrogating the authority through an official whose legal status as an acting accounting officer had not been established.
Bumali Mpindi, the MP for PWDs, proposed that the proceedings be suspended until the committee was satisfied about the legal position of the officials appearing in acting capacities.
Richard Senteza, the Lugazi Municipality legislator, specifically challenged the suggestion that Lumonya could perform the functions of Accounting Officer while the substantive Director General remained in office.
He argued that the temporary absence of the office holder did not automatically transfer those powers to the deputy without a formal written delegation.
“As of now, the MD is in office, save for health reasons. He has stepped out, she is not the accounting officer,” he said.
The committee also sought an update on the implementation of the presidential directive affecting senior officials.
Lumonya told the legislators that the individuals affected by the directive had completed the required handover of government property and other assets.
She further said the UCAA Board of Directors, chaired by Justice Emeritus Steven Kavuma, had been informed about the directive.
With several questions still unanswered, COSASE opted to broaden its investigation by moving to the authority’s premises.
The committee inspected UCAA facilities in Entebbe on Thursday, August 20.
The inspection comes as Parliament seeks clarity on the allegations surrounding UCAA and the wider concerns raised about the Ministry of Works and Transport.
At the centre of the leadership questions is Fred Bamwesigye, the substantive UCAA Director General, whose absence prompted Lumonya to take charge of the delegation before COSASE.
Bamwesigye was away on health grounds, a circumstance that became an important part of the committee’s discussion only after members began questioning the legal basis for Lumonya’s acting role.
His absence has therefore created a leadership question for the authority at a time when its management is facing heightened parliamentary scrutiny.
For COSASE, however, the immediate focus remains on establishing who had the lawful authority to answer the committee’s questions and determining whether the concerns raised in the Auditor General’s report and the presidential directive point to deeper problems within UCAA.
Meanwhile, top officials at Uganda Airlines are under fire over a scam involving advertising revenue, as reported Here.
