By Our Reporter
A storm has erupted at Uganda’s only international airport after President Yoweri Museveni dropped a bombshell directive ordering the immediate dismissal of 152 unqualified staff at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), citing gross corruption, incompetence, and national embarrassment.
In a scathing letter dated June 25, 2025, Museveni minced no words, accusing UCAA officials of systematically recruiting unqualified individuals through underhanded deals that have turned Entebbe International Airport into a dysfunctional mess—and a laughingstock on the continent.
“Serious inefficiencies… embarrassing problems… archaic lifts trapping VIPs… This nonsense must stop,” an enraged Museveni wrote in a letter addressed to Transport Minister Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, and copied to Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, and First Lady Janet Museveni, among others.
The president’s fury reportedly peaked after Maama Maria Nyerere, widow of Tanzania’s founding father Julius Nyerere, was humiliatingly trapped in a faulty elevator at the airport for several minutes. The symbolic embarrassment was too much for State House to ignore.
“An investigation revealed that 152 staff members lacked the basic qualifications for their positions,” the letter continued. “They must be dismissed—along with those who hired them. I demand immediate action.”
Rotten To The Core?
The president’s directive follows a series of public complaints and social media exposés about extortion, incompetence, and neglect at Entebbe, where travelers often face missed flights, harassment, and service failures at every corner—despite UCAA’s claims of “record-breaking traffic.”
While UCAA boasts of handling nearly 200,000 passengers in May 2025 alone, critics say it’s no more than a well-packaged illusion masking a deeply broken system. As Uganda’s “Gateway to the World,” Entebbe Airport is now increasingly referred to by furious netizens as “a glorified taxi park with jets.”
Karibuni Lounge Or Karibuni Shame?
Just last week, another PR disaster hit UCAA when it unveiled the much-hyped Karibuni Lounge—touted as a luxury waiting area for modern travelers. Instead, it triggered a fresh wave of mockery and rage, with passengers decrying the lounge’s cheap plastic furniture, garish colors, and overall “village bar vibe.”
“This is a disgrace! You can’t call this a world-class facility,” one frequent traveler fumed online. “Stop embarrassing the Pearl of Africa!”
UCAA scrambled to save face, blaming the poor aesthetic on the private concessionaire managing the lounge. In a damage control statement, Public Affairs Manager Vianney Luggya promised “serious engagement” with the operator to align with expected standards.
But critics are not buying the excuses.
“The problem isn’t just the lounge—it’s a symptom of a rotten system fueled by nepotism and bribes,” a civil aviation whistleblower told this publication.
Despite the mountain of accusations, UCAA continues to deny any wrongdoing, repeatedly stating it “does not condone extortion” and pledging to investigate any incidents. But travelers say such promises are recycled press statements with zero results.
“What has become of our airport?” asked a former aviation staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s being run like a family backyard business—jobs sold like tomatoes in Owino Market.”
Museveni’s rare public intervention may signal a long-overdue clean-up of Uganda’s aviation sector, once regarded as the pride of East Africa. But many remain skeptical, warning that without real accountability, the same rot will resurface under new names.
As the president pushes for heads to roll, all eyes now turn to the Ministry of Works and Transport—will it act decisively, or sweep another scandal under the tarmac?
One thing is clear: Entebbe is in turbulence—and this time, the captain is watching.