Officials from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) have appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) to respond to several concerns raised in the Auditor General’s 2025 report.
The UCAA delegation is being led by the authority’s Director General, Fred Bamwesigye, who was summoned by the committee after lawmakers raised questions about who had the authority to represent the institution during the proceedings.
Bamwesigye was initially summoned to appear before COSASE on August 19 after the committee questioned the authority of UCAA Deputy Director General Olive Birungi to respond to queries on behalf of the authority.
The latest appearance gives UCAA officials an opportunity to explain how the authority manages its assets, equipment and procurement processes, particularly issues that have attracted concern from auditors and lawmakers.
Among the major issues under scrutiny are idle assets valued at about Shs17.4 billion. The committee is seeking explanations on why such a large amount of public assets remains unused and what measures UCAA has taken to ensure that the assets are put to productive use.
Lawmakers are also expected to question the authority about non-functional airport scanners. The equipment is considered important for airport security, and concerns over scanners that are not working have raised questions about maintenance, procurement and the overall management of airport security equipment.
Delays in the procurement of critical equipment are another issue that UCAA officials have been asked to address. The committee is expected to seek clarification on why some equipment has taken long to procure and whether the delays have affected operations at the country’s airports.
The Auditor General’s report has placed renewed attention on how public institutions manage government resources, especially where expensive assets and equipment are involved. For UCAA, the questions before COSASE come at a time when the authority is responsible for supporting safe and efficient civil aviation operations in Uganda.
During the proceedings, the committee is expected to scrutinise the explanations given by UCAA officials and establish whether the concerns raised in the audit report resulted from administrative weaknesses, procurement challenges, poor asset management or other factors.
The appearance of the UCAA leadership before COSASE is therefore likely to provide Parliament with a clearer picture of the authority’s financial and operational management and the steps being taken to address the issues raised by the Auditor General.If you want, I can also make it more punchy and newspaper-style, with a stronger opening paragraph and more dramatic headline.
