Overview:
In an internal email circulated to staff on Monday afternoon, Ms Bamuturaki informed employees that the Uganda Airlines Board would soon advertise the CEO position.
Kampala — When President Museveni summoned Uganda Airlines’ top leadership to State House in September 2025, few inside the national carrier imagined the meeting would quietly mark the beginning of the end for Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki.
But within minutes of the closed-door session, the tone had shifted sharply. As discussions turned to aircraft procurement decisions, mounting losses and unresolved audit queries, the President abruptly ordered Ms Bamuturaki out of the meeting.
“Go away, I don’t want to see you,” Mr Museveni reportedly said, according to multiple sources familiar with the encounter. “Leave, you, go away,” he added, before the CEO exited the room.
That moment, insiders say, sealed her fate at Uganda Airlines.
Although no immediate public action followed, the September meeting fundamentally altered the President’s confidence in the airline’s leadership. From that point, scrutiny of the national carrier intensified, culminating in a decision by Mr Museveni to block any extension of Ms Bamuturaki’s tenure and instead direct the board to advertise the position of chief executive.
That decision has now been formally communicated internally, signalling the end of Ms Bamuturaki’s time at the helm of the national carrier.
In an internal email circulated to staff on Monday afternoon, Ms Bamuturaki informed employees that the Uganda Airlines Board would soon advertise the CEO position.
“The Board will advertise the position of Chief Executive Officer shortly, and you are all encouraged to apply if you meet the required qualifications,” she wrote in a memo seen by Kikubolane.
Multiple government and airline sources say the September State House meeting reviewed a series of red flags that had accumulated under Ms Bamuturaki’s leadership. These included disputed fleet procurement decisions, persistent audit warnings, alleged revenue leakages and growing interest from law enforcement agencies in the airline’s financial operations.
Sources present said the President was unimpressed by explanations offered by management and left the meeting deeply dissatisfied, particularly over governance and accountability issues at the state-owned airline.
While the leadership change unfolded quietly, it has now coincided with the escalation of criminal investigations targeting Uganda Airlines officials.
In a letter dated January 7, 2026, the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) wrote to Uganda Airlines demanding extensive documentation relating to procurement, revenue and banking transactions. The correspondence was copied to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, underscoring the seriousness of the probe.
“The Criminal Investigations Directorate, in liaison with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, is currently investigating a case of abuse of office, embezzlement of funds and false accounting against officials of Uganda Airlines relating to financial transactions,” the letter reads.
Investigators have requested, among other records, contracts committee minutes approving the purchase of Boeing aircraft, procurement files for fuel suppliers, aircraft leasing firms and ticketing agents, as well as revenue accounting, banking and cash-receipt records. CID has also demanded internal audit reports and expenditure details linked to the launch of the airline’s London route.
The convergence of the leadership transition and the criminal probe marks one of the most turbulent periods for Uganda Airlines since its revival in 2019, with the government now under pressure to stabilise management, restore confidence and address governance weaknesses at the national carrier.
As the board prepares to advertise for a new CEO, the airline faces the twin challenge of navigating an ongoing investigation while reassuring staff, passengers and the public that accountability reforms are finally taking root.