COSASE probe stalls as UCAA’s Director General misses corruption hearing

What the report says

Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on Wednesday ran into delays in its inquiry into alleged corruption at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) after the authority’s Director General and Accounting Officer, Fred K. Bamwesigye, did not appear. The Independent Uganda reported that Bamwesigye was said to be in Berlin, Germany, for medical treatment. The hearing in Kampala was instead attended by Deputy Director General Olive Birungi Lumonya, who said she had been acting in the top job for 33 days.

Committee chair Nkunyingi Muwada questioned whether Lumonya had been properly authorized to act and whether she could also serve as accounting officer. MPs debated the legal basis for acting appointments, citing the UCAA Act and the Public Finance Management Act. Legislators also linked the inquiry to a July 17, 2026 presidential directive alleging “massive corruption” in the Ministry of Works and Transport and UCAA, which ordered several officials to hand over office.

According to the report, Lumonya told MPs that the named UCAA officials had already handed over property and assets, and that the directive had been relayed to the board. Some MPs warned against treating the entire authority as corrupt, while others said the audit findings and internal controls needed closer scrutiny. COSASE said it could not proceed fully without resolving the leadership questions and scheduled a field visit to UCAA facilities in Entebbe before summoning the board for further scrutiny.