Corrupt officials behind Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki’s “Witch-hunt”, but we shall expose them, warns NRM’s Sewava Mukasa

The National Resistance Movement Eng Sewava Mukasa Joseph has lashed out at the ongoing unprofessional conduct of members of parliament towards the chief executive officer of Uganda Airlines blaming it on officials spearheading a campaign to destroy a corrupt free Ms. Jenifer. #WhisperEyeNews

While speaking to journalists at parliament today, the National Communication Assistant in the Office of the National Chairman of National Resistance Movement (NRM), Eng Sewava Joseph blamed corrupt officials within the institution that are collaborating with the said members of parliament led by COSASE Chairperson Hon Joel Ssenyonyi in what he described as humiliating and discrediting Ms. Jennifer to ensure their interests are covered, something Sewaava says shall be fought by the NRM government.

“These people raised questions with no merit before jumping to what I can describe as emotional drives to discredit the good work Uganda Airlines has achieved so far since Ms. Jenifer took office in May 2021,” said Sewava.

We shall not seat as Ms. Jenifer with a clear experience and competence is being tossed around by these Members of Parliament, Eng Sewava warned.

Hon Ssenyonyi is a renowned NRM government enemy who plays politics of dissent, politics of malice, and distortion to spearhead his known motives, added Sewava.

While Ms. Jenifer appeared in parliament this week, the MPs led by Hon Ssenyonyi as chairperson of COSASE wondered how Ms. Jenifer was appointed CEO of Uganda Airlines, they disclosed that the salary scale of Uganda Airlines CEO among other officials was exorbitant although there was no law that stipulated the salary scale, going around she earns the least price among East Africa airlines CEOs.

MPs stated that Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki holds a Bachelor of Arts (honors) in Social Works and Social Administration which she obtained from Makerere University in 1993 and lacked the post-graduate training prerequisite.

According to the Uganda Airlines CEO job requirements and experience as advertised recently, the ideal candidate should hold a bachelor’s degree in any field and post-graduate training in administration or any other business-related course.

It also requires at least 10 years of aviation experience at a senior management level, the experience in marketing and commercial aspects of the airlines business including knowledge of airline commercial systems.

While responding to the MPs, Bamuturaki informed them that she has 15 years of experience in aviation which makes her not only the best but more than perfect for the job.

She could not leave MPs with any iota of doubt in her, she told them that the above-mentioned experience supported by the certificates obtained from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) makes her one of the best CEOs Uganda Airlines has ever dreamt of.

“The certificates I have from IATA; if you put them together, they will come to a diploma but I have a degree. It doesn’t matter what I did at degree level, but I have the skill and certification from IATA,” Bamuturaki said.

She also told the committee that she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Administration at Makerere University.

SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS OF UGANDA AIRLINES OPERATIONS FROM MAY 2021 TO DATE

1. Successful inclusion of the Airbus A330neo to the Air Operator Certificate Fleet Listing (AUGUST 2021). This led to the following specific approvals:
   a. Cargo Carriage and Dangerous Goods carriage
   b. Electronic flight bag which caters for paperless cockpit leading to weight gains on our fleet.
   Departments included: ALL
2. Successful integration of the Engineering and Maintenance planning function inhouse leading to a monthly cost saving of USD 12,000 per month (USD 204,000 as at August 15, 2022)
   Department: ENGINEERING AND PLANNING (under MAINTENANCE AND ENGINEERING)
3. Completion of feasibility studies for the following planned new destinations – London, Jeddah, Riyadh, Goma, Lubumbashi, Lagos, Mumbai, Accra, Khartoum.
   Department: COMMERCIAL, CORPORATE QUALITY, SAFETY
4. Uganda Airlines accordingly started Commercial cargo acceptance on 04th September 2021.
   Department: CARGO and CORPORATE QUALITY
5. The cargo structure has been set up and we are actively carrying cargo on our network. As of August 15, 2022, we have been able to carry 2050 metric tonnes on our aircraft with an earned revenue of USD 3.6 Million. Projections have been made to carry 4,100 metric tonnes and anticipated revenue of about USD 7 Million by the end of the financial year 2022/23.
   Department: CARGO
6. Successful Integration of a state-of-the-art Inflight Entertainment product on our A330 fleet.
   Department: MAINTENANCE, COMMERCIAL, AND CORPORATE QUALITY
   Successful integration of a company-wide Departure Control System (AMADEUS) for all backend functions of check-in, weight and balance, flight management, baggage tracing and revenue management.
   Department: IT/COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS, GROUND OPERATIONS, COMMERCIAL, FINANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES
7. Implementation of a customer service initiative to improve the customer experience of our guests.
   Department: GROUND OPERATIONS, COMMERCIAL
8. Successful training of 40 new Cabin crew and 8 Experienced Cabin Crew Seniors in preparation for the Airbus Operations that started in August/September 2021.
   Department: FLIGHT OPERATIONS
9. Successful training of additional pilots (16) for the Airbus A330 operations.
   Department: FLIGHT OPERATIONS
10. Integration of a Performance Management System through roll out of the Balance Score Cards and KPIs companywide.
    Department: CEO, Human Resources
11. Production of a revised Strategic Plan to steer the company direction from 2022-2027 in line with the NDPIII.
    Department: CEO, Department Heads, All Staff
12. Attained the approval to start Self Handling of all Uganda Airlines flights effective 1st September 2022.
    Department: Ground Operations, Corporate Quality
13. Successful launch of commercial flights to Dubai, UAE
    Department: Commercial, Ground Operations, Quality, Flight Operations, Maintenance
14. Accomplished partnerships with stakeholders in the market like the Federation of Motrosporst Uganda, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), several media houses like NBS, BBS, NTV, CBS radio etc.
    Department: Commercial (Marketing)
15. Completed houses for Dhabangi and Maama Rebecca through an online campaign where money was collected and Uganda Airlines topped up the outstanding amounts for this noble cause.
    Department: Commercial (Marketing), Public Relations and Corporate Affairs