152 Fired UCAA Staff Petition Parliament Over Stalled Benefits After State House Reprieve

Scores of former Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) employees dismissed during a widespread corruption and academic paper audit at Entebbe International Airport have formally petitioned Parliament, demanding the operationalization of a reported Presidential pardon.

In a petition dated July 16, 2026, submitted to the Speaker of Parliament, the aggrieved aviation veterans claim that President Yoweri Museveni granted them a formal pardon following a State House meeting on March 5, 2026. However, months later, bureaucratic roadblocks within the Ministry of Works and Transport and UCAA management have left the directive stalled in administrative limbo.

1. The Backstory: Crackdowns, Reductions, and Grievances

The mass dismissals stem from an executive directive issued on June 25, 2025, ordering an anti-corruption and credentials verification cleanup across Entebbe International Airport.

• The 152 vs. 80 Disparity: Petitioners state that an initial investigative list identified 152 personnel for disciplinary review. However, only 80 operational, low-to-mid-level staff were ultimately terminated, while senior directors and managers implicated in similar queries allegedly retained their offices.

  

• The Parliamentary Channel: Following an initial presentation to Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, State Minister for Transport Fred Byamukama facilitated a 20-minute delegation meeting with President Museveni at State House on March 5, 2026.

• The Alleged 12% Benefit Cut: Petitioners allege that behind the scenes, certain officials are demanding they accept an arbitrary 12% deduction from their statutory retirement packages as a condition to process their clearance files.

2. State House Denial vs. Petitioner Evidence

Controversy surrounds the March 5 meeting. When contacted, Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Hajji Farouk Kirunda denied that any such meeting took place between the President and the dismissed aviation staff.

Conversely, representatives of the petitioners maintain that the meeting occurred after a briefing with former Works and Transport Minister Gen. Katumba Wamala. The petitioners claim that an executive letter directing administrative remedies is being held up within ministerial corridors without public action.

Key Petitioner Grievances:
├── Absence of a formal administrative instrument implementing the pardon
├── Denial of access to statutory pension, terminal, and retirement benefits
├── Housing evictions from UCAA residential quarters
└── Allegations of coercion regarding a 12% benefit deduction

3. Contested Incidents: The Elevator Stall & Cargo Fire

The workers argue that their dismissals were used to shield systemic procurement and engineering failures within the Authority, citing two major incidents:

1. The Maria Nyerere Elevator Incident: Several frontline staff were terminated for alleged incompetence after former Tanzanian First Lady Mama Maria Nyerere was briefly trapped in an airport elevator for four minutes. The workers contend that operational staff bear no responsibility for lift procurement, technical contracts, or engineering maintenance.

2. The Cargo Facility Fire: Firefighting crews who responded under resource-constrained conditions were blamed for operational lapses, which the petition argues ignored broader equipment shortages and managerial command breakdowns.

3. Withheld UNEB Verification Data: Staff allege they were denied access to the primary Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) credential verification reports during internal hearings, undermining their right to a fair defense.

4. High-Performance Records and Aviation Veterans Affected

The petition stresses that the dismissals affected personnel with 6 to 34 years of dedicated service, many possessing specialized certifications in aviation security, airport rescue firefighting, and protocol management during global events like the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit and Papal visits.

• Richard Odwong: Voted UCAA’s best-performing employee for three consecutive years, yet dismissed on grounds of general incompetence.

• Bribery Whistleblower: An unnamed aviation security officer who previously received a formal UCAA commendation for rejecting and reporting an attempted bribe by suspected Al-Shabaab operatives was also swept up in the terminations.

5. What the Workers Are Demanding from Parliament

With bank loan defaults mounting and livelihoods disrupted, the former workers are appealing to the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure and relevant oversight bodies to:

• Probe the Administrative Freeze: Establish why the Presidential directive has not been translated into an operational instrument.

• Ensure Full Benefit Payouts: Direct UCAA to process all accrued pension and terminal dues without unauthorized deductions if reinstatement is not viable.

• Audit Disciplinary Equity: Investigate why the disciplinary list was reduced from 152 to 80 and whether high-ranking management figures were shielded from accountability.