By Mulengera Reporters
Even when the mood in the country is about local content, according to which Ugandan talent is supposed to be prioritized when making executive positions-hiring decisions, at Uganda Airlines, the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), which is one of the most lucrative offices there, continues to be powerfully occupied by a Nigerian expatriate by the names of Adedeyo Olayin.
The excellent deal maker lives a luxurious life in the upscale Kampala neighborhood of Kololo. He is officed in Nakasero on the swanky URF/PPDA office tower, which serves as the Airline’s main commercial and sales office in Kampala.
In fact, he isn’t the only foreign expatriate holding a lucrative position at Uganda Airlines. The position of head ground operations is also being occupied by a Nigerian in acting capacity.
But how did Adedeyo Olayin land this job at the GoU-owned Airline? The job had previously been advertised and several people applied, as can be expected.
And at the end of the recruitment exercise, two Ugandans emerged winners. These were Emmanuel Okware, who had served as station manager under the old Uganda Airlines, and a one Ms Katiti. Okware was number one best in those interviews and Katiti finished second.
Katiti is an aviation consultant who had served under the old Uganda Airlines too. She currently serves as an expatriate doing aviation gigs in Nigeria. That the highly qualified Okware emerged the best at those interviews didn’t surprise those who know him.
He has an impressive resume having previously served as Uganda country manager for Qatar Airways and also for Kenya Airways. The rigorous interview process had been conducted by the Board HR Committee, aided by a top HR consultant the Company had identified through the IATA arrangement.
As the Board prepared to choose one of the two for the final deployment into the job, someone in top management felt insecure and proposed disregarding the two best candidates (fellow Ugandans) on grounds that they lacked adequate background in things like revenue management.
That’s how a decision was taken to cancel the entire recruitment process, into which a lot of money had already been sunk. The Uganda Airline management opted to head-hunt and that’s how Adedeyo, the larger than life Nigerian expatriate, was identified for the role and he has continued to be in charge up to this day.
Adedeyo Olayin has since been going about his job with enthusiasm and he is a man of great connections in the international aviation circles.
This is why some in Uganda Airline top management recently found or saw nothing wrong with generously facilitating him to travel with his own son and Board member (Busitema University’s) Samuel Rwabwire, who heads the Technical Committee of Board to Boeing and hammer out some details on the additional planes the GoU has facilitated the Airline Company to purchase and boost its fleet from the mere two air buses and six aircrafts.
There is also one other aircraft which the Airline is currently leasing very expensively from a European firm. Adedeyo remains the influential man allegedly with the last word on some of these lucrative transactions. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
