The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has appointed Jenifer Bamuturaki to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uganda Airlines.
KAMPALA | LIFESTYLE UGANDA — Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni, has appointed Jenifer Bamuturaki as the new substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uganda Airlines, who will serve as the company’s director for the foreseeable future.
General Katumba Wamala, the Transport Minister, announced the appointment and stated that Jenifer Bamuturaki has a wealth of experience including 20 years as a marketer.
“Reference is made to a letter Ref. No. PO/28 dated April, 24, 2022 from H.E the President of the Republic of Uganda in respect of subject matter above ()copy attached for ease of reference). The purpose of this letter is to bring the directive to your attention for implication,” Gen Katumba confirmed the appointment in a letter dated July 5, 2022.
Since Uganda Airlines officially began operating commercial flights in 2019, it has been run by three acting CEOs, including Ephraim Bagenda, Cornwell Muleya, and Jenifer Bamuturaki.
Bamuturaki was fired from the airline after a six-month probation period back in March 2020 after many significant allegations including hiring a media and PR firm, Abbavator Ltd, where she had direct interests, to handle the airline’s PR and communications and over-invoicing the carrier by over $232,000.
Bamuturaki, described as the second in command in The Observer newspaper article, was also accused of approving payments for over $404,000 when the actual cost was $172,000.
As The Observer reported, Abbavator failed to complete contractual obligations by not paying several media houses, which led to negative publicity against Uganda Airlines.
Among other charges, Jenifer Bamuturaki was accused of establishing external air stations on routes to Nairobi, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Dar es Salaam, and Kilimanjaro.
Bamuturaki somehow escaped the allegations and returned to the airline in May 2021 as acting CEO, replacing Muleya who has been charged with disobedience.
When Cornwell Muleya was the CEO of the national carrier, he refused to respond to inquiries from the IGG about the mismanagement of the company.
As Uganda’s flagship national passenger and cargo carrier, the airline’s goal is to enhance Uganda’s competitiveness by reducing the cost of air transport and improving connectivity to and from Uganda in order to help unlock tourism, agriculture, oil and gas and mineral resources faster.
Currently, the airline operates flights to ten regional destinations, including Johannesburg, Juba, Nairobi and Kinshasa, as well as one international route; Dubai.
London and Guangzhou will be added to the network before the end of the year.
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