Museveni advised to name First Family member as Uganda Airlines CEO

President Yoweri Museveni has received bold recommendations for rescuing the troubled Uganda Airlines, which is currently in crisis following a leadership shake-up and the departure of its Chief Executive Officer, Jenifer Bamuturaki. 

Speaking on a talk show, journalist and political commentator Andrew Mwenda argued that President Museveni should consider tapping someone from his immediate circle to take the helm of the national carrier, with the aim of insulating the airline from Uganda’s partisan political pressures.

“If Uganda is to be serious about running an airline, it needs to enjoy a high degree of independence; first from Uganda’s democratic politics. The airline has to be insulated from popular pressures,” he said. 

Mwenda floated the idea of naming a family member to lead the airline, declaring:  “If Museveni was to name his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the airline CEO, who would come and push him to do anything?… Everybody else in that position will be kicked around.”

He also offered unconventional alternatives, suggesting that the president consider his sons-in-law Edwin Karugire or Odrek Rwabwogo or even one of his daughters to run the national carrier.

Alternatively, Mwenda said the president could look into  expatriate leadership: 

“The other solution to manage the airline effectively is to hire white people… No Ugandan will go to a white man and say, ‘hire my daughter or hire my wife’.”

“ The President of Emirates has been a white man from the UK. You need to bring in a white person who is highly experienced and above board.”

“Remember that the New Vision became the most successful newspaper in Africa because its founding MD William Pyke was white. Short of that I don’t see what Uganda can do to create an airline that is insulated.”

The airline’s leadership crisis has erupted after months of mounting scrutiny over governance, financial performance and alleged mismanagement. In early February 2026, Uganda Airlines confirmed that the Board of Directors would re-advertise the CEO position, signalling the effective end of Ms Bamuturaki’s tenure, which began in July 2022. 

She informed staff in an internal communication that the job would soon be advertised and encouraged qualified employees to apply.

Bamuturaki’s departure comes amid intense criminal investigations by the Uganda Police Force Criminal Investigations Directorate and the State House Anti‑Corruption Unit into alleged abuse of office, embezzlement, and false accounting involving Uganda Airlines officials, as well as parliamentary concerns over ongoing losses and governance gaps. 

Although there has been speculation about high-profile replacements, including former Ethiopian Airlines executive Girma Wake, the Office of the President of Uganda has denied that any appointment has been finalised.

Under Bamuturaki’s leadership, the national carrier continued to post financial losses that attracted parliamentary scrutiny. 

The airline has been under pressure over its performance, including irregular procurement decisions, high operating costs and customer complaints about cancellations and delays.