Overview:
Museveni's order to fire 152 UCAA staff reveals deep corruption and forged qualifications, exposed after an embarrassing lift incident involving Maria Nyerere.
KAMPALA, Uganda — A seemingly minor malfunction — the trapping of Mama Maria Nyerere, wife of the late Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, in an antiquated lift at Uganda’s main airport — has served as the unexpected catalyst for a sweeping purge of staff at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA). This incident, on its surface a mere inconvenience, ultimately unveiled a deeper, more systemic “rot” of corruption and unqualified personnel that prompted President Yoweri Museveni to order the dismissal of 152 employees.
In a direct June 25, 2025, communication, President Museveni connected the embarrassing lift mishap to what he described as widespread malpractices. “I have received information that there is massive corruption in the UCAA in terms of several aspects, including recruiting unqualified people for employment there,” the President wrote to Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister for Works and Transport. “As a consequence, serious inefficiencies cause problems that must not be allowed to continue.”
The presidential directive was unambiguous: “One glaring embarrassing problem was, for instance, for Mama Maria Nyerere being trapped in an archaic lift for 4 minutes. Some investigation was carried out, and 152 unqualified staff were identified. All these must be sacked, and so should those who recruited them. I demand immediate action.”
However, the rot that this incident brought to light was not a sudden development. Internal investigations conducted by the UCAA had already been revealing significant issues long before the Nyerere incident gained public attention.
Internal Probe Exposed Extensive Forgeries
An internal UCAA investigation, initiated in February 2024, provided crucial evidence of the deep-seated problems. A comprehensive verification exercise of staff academic qualifications uncovered alarming irregularities: of over 2,600 documents reviewed, 82 were definitively identified as forged academic credentials.
The UCAA report, submitted to Gen. Wamala, indicated that this internal audit was prompted by earlier discoveries during a November 2023 recruitment process for aviation security staff, where “forgeries” were found among seemingly qualified candidates. This led to the decision to review the academic credentials of all existing employees.
The UCAA conceded that rigorous academic verification during recruitment and internal promotions had not been a standard procedure, with the primary focus instead placed on aptitude assessments and industry-specific certifications.
Beyond the issue of fraudulent qualifications, the UCAA has also faced public scrutiny for alleged extortion. In January 2025, widely circulated videos purportedly showed UCAA staff soliciting money from travelers, prompting calls from the Deputy Speaker of Parliament for their prosecution.
Ministerial Confirmation and Broader Governance Failures
While the Permanent Secretary for Works and Transport opted not to comment, the State Minister for Transport confirmed the President’s directive, underscoring the critical importance of the UCAA. The Minister acknowledged that the problems within the authority extended far beyond the issue of forged academic papers, citing a “litany of bad governance questions” that have plagued the institution for an extended period.
The Minister enumerated several instances of alleged mismanagement and operational failures, including the destruction of Ministry of Health mosquito nets in UCAA cargo warehouses due to fire, persistent issues with leaking air conditioners, and a fire outbreak in a terminal attributed to a malfunctioning fan.
“Corruption, someone to get a contract, you have to pay. You can’t get a contract, you must pay higher to win the contract,” the Minister asserted, painting a picture of pervasive corruption within procurement processes. He also highlighted concerns about “less qualified staff members holding positions meant for more qualified people, while those qualified are being supervised by incompetent people.”
The Minister confirmed that both the Ministry and the UCAA conducted a thorough joint investigation, including extensive verification of academic records with educational institutions and examination bodies. This comprehensive probe ultimately led to the identification of the 152 individuals now slated for dismissal.
UCAA’s Internal Conundrum and Next Steps
In an internal response to the Minister of State for Works and Transport, the UCAA acknowledged the long-standing nature of the forged academic papers, noting that some “span a long time, some having been committed before or at the inception of UCCA and throughout the years.”
The UCAA’s report provided a breakdown of the affected staff, identifying 67 technical personnel and 15 non-technical staff. The authority expressed a “dilemma” regarding the substantial costs invested in human development within the aviation sector, noting that many of the affected individuals had received specialized training and were considered among their “best personnel in the industry.” A disciplinary committee has been established to hear the cases, with a final resolution pending ministerial guidance.