Tooro leaders dismayed over Bamuturaki ouster

Tooro region leaders have voiced dismay at the ouster of Uganda Airlines chief executive officer Jenifer Bamuturaki, insisting that criticism of her qualifications and performance has been unfair and overly harsh. 

Fort Portal Central MP Hon. Alex Ruhunda defended Ms Bamuturaki’s academic and professional credentials, emphasising their shared history and her educational background. 

Ruhunda was quoted by Crooze FM noting that the claims about her lack of qualifications were “very disheartening and untrue,” saying he studied with her at Kyebambe Girls for O’Level before she continued to Nabisunsa and later university.

“This lady is well known to us and to me personally. I studied with her. I know she studied at Kyebambe Girls for O’Level, then Nabisunsa, and later went on to university. For people to claim she has no qualifications is very disheartening and untrue,” Ruhunda said.

 “We people of Tooro… when they are given a chance to work, they work with one heart they are not corrupt,” Ruhunda asserted, highlighting a belief in her integrity and competence.

Ms Bamuturaki’s exit comes amid growing scrutiny over governance and financial performance at the state-owned carrier. 

President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly removed her from the CEO role as part of a broader leadership overhaul aimed at stabilising the airline’s troubled operations. 

Sources say that the decision followed a tense State House meeting in September 2025, where concerns over disputed aircraft procurement decisions, persistent audit warnings, and mounting losses were discussed. Insiders say Museveni lost confidence in management and directed that the CEO position be openly advertised, effectively ending Ms Bamuturaki’s tenure.

The board has since informed staff that the job will be re-advertised, a move seen as part of efforts to reposition the airline and improve governance. Ms Bamuturaki herself announced in an internal email that the CEO role would be advertised and encouraged qualified staff to apply.

Critics of her leadership have pointed to ongoing criminal investigations into alleged abuse of office, embezzlement and false accounting involving airline officials, which intensified pressure for change.

The Uganda Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate, working with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, has demanded extensive financial and procurement records from the airline as part of the probe.

While some Ugandans have welcomed the leadership change, Tooro leaders maintain that Ms Bamuturaki’s contribution and qualifications should not be dismissed and that any assessment of her legacy should be fair and fact-based.