Two years into the Uganda Airlines project, the national carrier is currently being led by its third CEO and has been through what can only be described as mess.
Earlier this year, a directive from the highest office in the land led to the suspension of the airline’s leadership including executives, board members and the CEO at the time, Cornwell Muleya. The suspended individuals are still pleading their case after accusations of corruption and mismanagement.
This turn of events led to the CEO appointment of former Commercial Director Jenifer Bamuturaki who herself had failed to make it past her 6 months probation period and left in a cloud of corruption accusations in the early days of the airline project.
A few months now into her Acting CEO tenure and the tide seems to already be turning
In a letter addressed to Hon. Gen Katumba-Wamala, Uganda’s minister of works and transport, titled : “Further evidence of conflict of interest, moral turpitude and mismanagement of Uganda Airlines by Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki Musiime aka Jenifer Arnold Lenkai” and copied to the Attorney General, the Office of the President and members of the Uganda Airlines board’ Uganda Airlines board chairman, Hon Pereza Ahabwe Godfrey has hit back observing a cultural rot at the airline and recommending the dismissal of the current CEO
The Chairman’s concerns begin with matters pertaining to Jenifer Bamuturaki’s tenure as Commercial director and the termination of the Abbavater contract as well as the refusal to instill her permanently after her probational period.
The Abbavater Group is a company that was contracted to offer events and media services to Uganda Airlines back in 2019.
One of the company’s Directors, a Mark Odeke was a Pastor at the same church that Jenifer Bamuturaki attended. Another director named Lesalie, a Kenyan national is husband to Ada Nshemereirwe who was being fronted for the Country manager job in Nairobi by Jenifer Bamuturaki, despite lacking any aviation experience
The chairman also raises Issues identified by CEO Muleya who claimed that Procurement of the Abbavater contract was not competitive as it was carried out solely by Jenifer Bamuturaki and out of self-interest
To elaborate on the company’s poor performance and inflated invoicing, reference was made to the official launch
event that marked the arrival of the Airline’s CRJ aircraft, 600 guests were hosted at an average cost of Ugx 1,297,876 (USD 365) each
New Developments:
- On 13th February 2019, Jenifer Bamuturaki Musiime renounced her name before the law and adopted a new name, Jenifer Arnold Lenkai which was subsequently registered at Uganda Registration Services Bureau – a copy of the deed poll confirming this has been seen by Airspace Africa
- On 1 April 2019 she was appointed as Commercial Director at Uganda Airlines with her letter of appointment addressed to Jenifer B. Musiime – a copy of the appointment letter has been seen by Airspace Africa
- Abbavater’s registered address is the same as Jenifer Bamuturaki’s submitted address at the time of her appointment as Commercial Director
Current corruption practices at the airline
The chairman is concerned about passengers on Dubai flights boarding with up to 5 extra pieces of baggage with no record of extra revenue collected.
The chairman identified this as a money making scheme and referred to the dismissal of revenue accountant Zarina Sirkoth whose tenure had saved the airline lots of money as a move to open this door of corruption
He cited Nepotism, protectionism and favouritism as hallmarks of Jenifer Bamuturaki’s leadership and factors likely to bring down an otherwise promising airline project
The chairman of the board concludes by identifying Ag CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki Musiime as a masquerader who does not exist by law after her name change. Her appointment letter, which has also been seen by Airspace Africa shows the Commercial Director’s Job was offered to Jenifer Bamuturaki Musiime even after she had renounced this name before the law and registered a new name.
“The deliberate move to have a dual identity, one for business and other for formal employment as her CV indicates, smacks of a person devoid of the high moral standing required of a Chief Executive Officer of an airline and indeed any other position of responsibility in any entity worth its name and therefore should immediately be relieved of her duties to save the Uganda Airlines image and further damage.” The Chairman of the board recommended and went on to beg for decisive action.
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