Airlines boss lost Senior 4 papers, handed to police
Former Uganda Airlines CEO Ephraim Kalyebara Bagenda (2nd left) and current CEO Jennifer Bamuturaki (centre) with the Parliament CID officials after appearing before MPs yesterday. PHOTO / DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The interest in her academic details came after the committee chairperson, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, noted glaring gaps in the documents she submitted on Wednesday, and in particular cited the missing transcript and the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).
The chief executive of Uganda Airlines, Ms Jennifer Bamuturaki, yesterday told lawmakers investigating the mess at the national carrier that she lost her Senior Four documents and never picked her transcript from the Makerere University, where she graduated 28 years ago.
Giving detail of her academic papers and curriculum vitae that she submitted to the House Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) that is probing findings of the Auditor General’s Report FY 2020/2021, Ms Bamuturaki said she had tried three times to pick the certified record of her Social Works and Social Administration (SWASA) degree from Makerere but never succeeded.
She added that repeated phones calls to the university administration on the matter were futile.
“I have been to Makerere to find my transcript but the file where all the transcripts for our year were cannot be traced because they have moved faculties. So I have been given time to wait until they find it,” Ms Bamuturaki said.
The interest in her academic details came after the committee chairperson, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, noted glaring gaps in the documents she submitted on Wednesday, and in particular cited the missing transcript and the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).
MPs led by Mr Martin Muzaale (Buzaaya County) and Mr Yususf Nsibambi (Mawokota South) wondered how she managed to secure the top job even without the academic transcript.
“I used my certificate for bachelor’s degree,” she responded.
“You are surely a lucky citizen. For some of us, they [appointing authorities] even ask for baptism certificates,” Mr Nsibambi said.
“By the time I graduated, I had received a certificate [supporting the BA degree, SWASA],” she explained.
Mr Muzaale remarked: “I think we are dealing with a very different person from the CEO of Uganda Airlines.”
On how she joined the Uganda Airlines as the director in charge commercial in 2019, Ms Nancy Acora (Lamwo Woman) demanded that she establish the basis of her recruitment.
“When I was applying for the job as commercial director, I had all my originals and I misplaced them. So as I applied, I got a police report and I have used that report to process fresh ones,” Ms Bamuturaki said.
This is when she told MPs that she lost her UCE academic slip and has since embarked on the process of retrieving it.
On Wednesday, the legislators learnt that Ms Bamuturaki was appointed when she only possessed a degree and lacked a post-graduate training in administration or any other business related course, which was a must-have for all persons interested in the job as per the advert.
Prior to this, it had been established on Tuesday when the probe commenced, that Ms Bamuturaki earns at least Shs87m monthly, a figure she has since distanced herself from.
Lawmakers are also concerned that she used her position to influence the award of the contract to the Abbavater Group Limited, a consultancy firm, to handle ‘bad press’ of the Uganda Airlines within and outside the country.
She, however, denied the accusations.
The MPs then demanded answers from the director of maintenance, Mr Ephraim Bagenda, who at the time served as the CEO of Uganda Airlines when the said firm was procured. He, however, failed to give a conclusive response.
Mr Bagenda said he does not remember most of the details that were in the procurement process since the deal was handled by the Ministry Works and Transport.
This prompted Mr Ssenyonyi to handover Mr Bagenda and Ms Bamuturaki to Parliament’s CID unit for further interrogation.
“We are going to have statements extracted from Ms Jennifer (Bamuturaki) and Mr Bagenda with our CID. I am going to hand you over to them so that we capture what you had told us. If it is a lie, that is an offence,” he said.
The probe will continue next Monday.
On change of names
In another twist of events, MPs learnt that Ms Bamuturaki undertook a deed poll to change her name from Musiime Bamuturaki Jennifer to Jennifer Arnold Lenkai. This is according to a deed poll referenced to by Mr Ssenyonyi and also seen by this publication bearing the Uganda Registration Service Bureau stamp dated March 6, 2019.The document also shows that Ms Bamuturaki signed it on February 13, 2019, which she confirmed. She said she reversed the move. “I am Jennifer Bamuturaki and my marital name is Musiime. My education documents have Jennifer Bamuturaki. My ID and passport Bamuturaki Musiime. I didn’t want to change my name anymore,” she said.
