KAMPALA.
The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has issued a criminal summons against former principal of Makerere University Business School (Mubs ) , Prof. Waswa Balunywa to answer allegations related to abuse of office, neglect of duty, and causing financial loss .
Chief Magistrate Racheal Nakyazze ordered Prof. Balunywa to appear on August 21 to answer charges. On the same date, MUBS Chief Quality Assurance Officer Jacqueline Namaganda will return for a bail hearing after being remanded.
The group of accused persons has appeared before different magistrates at the Anti-Corruption Court, including Grade One Magistrates Esther Asiimwe and Paul Mujuni.
Those who have taken plea and denied the charges include Jennifer Etit Okaka, Jacqueline Namaganda, Waliyah Nalweyiso, Paul Kikulwe, Dorah Aryatuha, Ibrahim Ojuku, and Joseph Ngabirano.
Others are yet to appear, with the court issuing criminal summons against them.
Several current and former officials from Mubs, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda Police Force, and Kyambogo University face similar charges. Some have denied the allegations, while others are yet to appear in court.
Prosecution alleges that between February and April 2023, Prof. Balunywa irregularly recruited three administrative assistants—James Arike, Nathan Nuwagira, and Nimrod Kakayi—without the required qualifications, creating undue costs for government. Namaganda, then Acting Human Resource Director, allegedly failed to verify their eligibility.
In a separate case, former MUBS security head Ibrahim Ojuku and guard Joseph Ngabirano are accused of causing Shs41 million loss after Ngabirano remained on payroll despite being absent.
At CAA , Human Resources Manager Jennifer Etit Okaka allegedly failed to remove former employee Irene Atukunda from payroll after she absconded, causing Shs17.3 billion loss.
Atukunda is accused of illegally receiving Shs146.5 million in salaries and benefits.
Manager Legal Services Joseph Joel Okwalinga allegedly abused his office by facilitating her irregular resignation without a disciplinary process.
At Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital, Senior Accountant Waliyah Nalweyiso and HR Officer Paul Kikulwe allegedly retained two absconded nurses on payroll, causing Shs10 million loss.
At Uganda Police Headquarters, Principal HR Officer Dorah Aryatuha allegedly failed to remove resigned officer Oyet Francis from payroll, causing a Shs20.6 million loss. Oyet is separately accused of knowingly receiving the salary.
In another case, Uganda Police Senior Engineering Assistant James Sekalumba allegedly abused his office by holding a second government job at Kyambogo University from 2010 to 2023, violating public service rules.
The charges target misuse of authority and failure to safeguard public funds, with convictions potentially leading to fines, dismissal, or up to 14 years in prison. The matters have been adjourned to August for preliminary hearing after the court heard that investigations in the matters are complete.
The prosecutions follow President Museveni’s directive to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to arrest officials behind ghost worker schemes. He described payroll fraud as “easy to detect” and insisted it was not political. CID has so far arrested 12 senior officials from six agencies, with more suspects being pursued.
According to the Auditor General’s 2023 verification audit, over 10,000 suspected ghost workers—some deceased, retired, or long absent—were drawing Shs53 billion annually.
A later government validation confirmed over 5,000 cases. Museveni recently ordered the Ministry of Works to sack 152 unqualified CAA staff and criticized agencies for paying double salaries to civil servants holding multiple jobs.