Museveni appoints Girma Wake interim CEO of Uganda Airlines

In a bold bid to steady the course of Uganda’s troubled national carrier, President Yoweri Museveni has appointed seasoned aviation executive Girma Wake as consultant and adviser to Uganda Airlines, tasking him with steering the airline as acting Chief Executive Officer for the next three months.

The incumbent chief executive, Jenifer Bamuturaki, has been instructed to hand over and step aside immediately, with a substantive leader expected to be named in July.

The appointment comes against a backdrop of mounting public scrutiny, operational disruptions and deepening questions over corporate governance at the national flag‑carrier.

Wake, whose long career includes transforming Ethiopian Airlines into one of the continent’s most respected carriers, met President Museveni at State House, Entebbe in early February in what insiders describe as a turning point for the airline’s leadership direction. The engagement — reportedly facilitated by prominent media figures — focused on charting a roadmap to stabilise operations and restore confidence.

Industry analysts and aviation insiders say the move reflects growing dissatisfaction with Uganda Airlines’ performance, especially following repeated flight delays, cancellations and governance lapses that have drawn wide public criticism. During the recent festive season, passengers were left stranded for days amid technical hitches and poor communication — incidents that aviation regulators confirmed were under probe by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).

Internal investigations spearheaded by the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the State House Anti‑Corruption Unit have also shifted the narrative from “teething problems” to potential governance failures, as formal requests for detailed financial, procurement and accounting records were dispatched to airline headquarters.

Despite modest improvements — including a slight reduction in losses in recent years — the airline remains firmly loss‑making and heavily reliant on state support. Recent audits point to fragile finances, weak internal controls and procurement shortcomings that have raised eyebrows among lawmakers and aviation experts alike.

Daily Monitor aviation specialist Joel Mukisa notes that public pressure has played a decisive role in forcing leadership reforms. “The changes at Uganda Airlines reflect the power of public opinion in shaping accountability at key national institutions,” Mukisa said.

For a carrier launched in 2019 with ambitious regional and long‑haul goals, the Wake appointment signals both a reckoning with past missteps and a bid to salvage future prospects. Yet whether three months of interim leadership will be enough to convince wary travellers and critics remains the central question facing the airline as it seeks to regain credibility and commercial traction.