Published on 26/08/2025
Uganda Airlines inaugurated a new board of seven for the next three-year term tenure to control the operations of the airlines to enable growth and development of the airline, hence influencing Uganda’s economic progress.
The team is headed by the board chairperson, Ms Priscilla Mirembe Sseruka, and six board members: Ms Barbra Namugambe, Mr Habert Kamuntu, Mr Samson Rwahwire, Mr Constant Othieno Mayende, Mr Abdul Karim Omoding, and Mr Patrick Ocailap.
In his recommendations to the new board, Mr Fred Byamukama, the state minister of works and transport, urged them to develop the airline to influence Uganda’s economic development, highlighting the sectors of tourism, trade, agro-processing and minerals, and to expand the export earnings from $6 billion currently to $50 billion.
Mr Byamukama scolded the opposition for tarnishing the image of the airline, which was branded as having brought old model aircraft that lack spare parts, and called them instead to join the government to promote the image of the airlines beyond Ugandan borders.
“The opposition, instead of telling Ugandans how they will transform the nation, are just demolishing our image. Our airline is doing well; we have managed to transport all players of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) coming to Uganda, and they were happy. We need to focus on the expansion of our routes,” he said.
In her new strategic plan, Ms Sseruka said she will prioritise transformation initiatives like effective flight operations, financial system management, leadership transparency, opening new routes from the existing 17, and acquiring new aircraft from six.
“We are going to start with the purchase of two cargo planes. Currently we are doing cargo using the bellies of the planes, which we need to advance. We aim at making profits, as business may suffer in the start,” Ms Sseruka assured.
Bombardier spare parts controversy
Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines CEO, firmly refuted claims that its aircraft lack spare parts, affirming that spare parts are readily available despite global shortages, and clarified that despite Bombardier’s sale, Uganda Airlines has access to multiple sources for spare parts, although global demand makes procurement challenging and time-consuming.
Ms Bamuturaki announced that by August 2026 Uganda Airlines is set to acquire three more planes and launch five more routes to Cape Town in South Africa, Accra in Ghana, Jordan in Oman, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and Gwangju in South Korea, calling on Ugandans to support the national airlines.
“Spare parts scarcity is a global challenge, not unique to Uganda Airlines because of Bombardiers, nor because Bombardier was sold to another company. We still have the support; at times we may place orders for spare parts from the supplier at the same time with other countries, which causes delays for about 300 days of waiting,” she noted.
The wave of criticism of Uganda Airlines started on August 15, when officials from Uganda Airlines appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (PAC-COSASE) to respond to issues raised in the Auditor General’s (AG) 2023/2024 financial year report that sparked controversy.
By July 2025, Entebbe International Airport handled 230,577 international passengers, of which 119,000 were arriving passengers and 111,000 were departing passengers, on average 7,437 passengers per day, which was the highest number of passengers that the airport has ever recorded in a single month, since 2019 when the airline was revived.
