Sacked UCAA workers run to Parliament for help

KAMPALA. Former Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) employees dismissed over disputed academic credentials have turned to Parliament, asking MPs to hear their grievances and reconsider what they describe as unfair termination of their employment.

The workers have petitioned the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), seeking an opportunity to explain their side of the dispute as MPs scrutinise the purge at the aviation regulator.

The petition comes after UCAA terminated the contracts of dozens of employees following a verification exercise of academic credentials that began in 2023.

The audit followed President Museveni’s 2025 directive for action against public servants who secured jobs using forged academic documents.

UCAA told COSASE that 82 employees were eventually dismissed after a disciplinary process, including hearings, although MPs during the proceedings cited a figure of 89.

COSASE chairperson Muwada Nkunyingi told MPs on Monday that the former employees had formally written to the committee seeking an opportunity to appear before it.

“So we are going to give them an opportunity to come and present their grievances. We shall listen to them and then see what we can do. We cannot close the door on them. We can give them another day,” Mr Nkunyingi said.

The petition gives the former workers a fresh opportunity to challenge the circumstances surrounding their dismissal after previous attempts to have their cases reconsidered through various offices yielded no relief.

UCAA officials told the committee that some of the affected workers had approached high political offices, Parliament, ministers and other institutions seeking redress.

During the recent COSASE proceedings, which were livestreamed by some media outlets, the former employees also sent messages to the committee chairperson and MPs raising concerns about their cases.

UCAA defence

UCAA Director General Fred Bamwesigye told the committee that the authority acted after its verification exercise established that some employees did not possess the academic qualifications required for the positions they held.

Others, he said, were found to have submitted academic documents that had allegedly been tampered with or were fraudulent.

Mr Bamwesigye said the authority followed the required disciplinary procedures before terminating the affected employees.

UCAA Human Resource Director Sarah Kakooza told MPs that 82 employees had their contracts terminated after being subjected to disciplinary proceedings and given an opportunity to be heard.

She said some of the affected workers had previously sought redress through different channels without success.

“In the last … all these offices,” Ms Kakooza said, referring to the different institutions approached by the former employees.

The dispute now before COSASE centres partly on whether the disciplinary process was properly conducted and whether the affected employees were given adequate opportunity to defend themselves.

The committee is expected to hear directly from the former employees before determining what further action should be taken.

Numbers disputed

The exact number of workers affected by the exercise also emerged as a point of contention during the parliamentary proceedings.

UCAA officials told MPs that 82 employees had been dismissed following the verification and disciplinary process.

However, some MPs referred to 89 affected workers, creating a discrepancy that the committee may need to clarify as it continues its inquiry.

The original verification exercise reportedly flagged 150 employees over questionable Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) documents, including Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results.

The subsequent disciplinary process resulted in the termination of contracts for those whom the authority said failed to satisfy the requirements.

UCAA has maintained that the exercise was necessary to protect the integrity of the authority and ensure that employees occupying technical and other positions possess the qualifications required for their jobs.

The authority has also defended the disciplinary process, saying the affected workers were given an opportunity to respond to the allegations before decisions were made.

MPs seek engagement

While continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the dismissals, Mr Nkunyingi urged UCAA to maintain contact with the affected workers.

He said the authority should consider engaging and guiding the former employees as they adjust to life after losing their jobs.

“I think what … talk to them,” he said, urging the authority to maintain basic interaction with the affected team.

The committee’s decision to receive the petition means the former workers will now have an opportunity to put their grievances directly before Parliament.

Their appearance could also help COSASE establish whether the dismissals were based solely on verified academic irregularities or whether there were other procedural issues surrounding the disciplinary process.

For UCAA, however, the central position remains that employees whose academic credentials were found to be fraudulent or inadequate could not continue occupying positions for which they did not meet the required qualifications.

COSASE is expected to consider the former employees’ petition alongside evidence already presented by UCAA before making recommendations on the matter.