By Mulengera Reporters
The Works Ministry PS Mzee Waiswa Bageya has confirmed that government is shopping for Eng Ephraim Bagyenda’s replacement as CEO for Uganda Airlines. This comes barely a day after Mulengera News reported that Bagyenda’s days wouldn’t be many because the President wants total overhaul at the newly revamped National Airline.
Whereas PS Bageya revealed shopping for the new CEO would be priority business for the newly recruited Governing Board headed by Pereza Ahabwe, he refuted reports that Bagyenda had actually already been fired to depart with outgoing board Chairman Eng Gad Gasatura.
One of our sources had claimed: “Both the BoD chairman and CEO were fired in the same Presidential decision and the Bagyenda bit had to be handled cautiously to avoid causing staff anxiety. That’s why everybody is quiet about it. He is still in office but the truth is he was fired along with Eng Gasatura because Mzee wants totally new teams. The man actually doing much of the work now is [Kenyan] Cornwell Muleya [formerly GM for Air Uganda] and the authorities at Works are just being polite with Bagyenda as they seek some soft landing for him.”
Bageya said this wasn’t entirely true because, according to him, “Eng Bagyenda remains the Ag CEO until a new one is recruited and that is a matter I have left to the BoD to handle. They have been instructed to prioritize and make CEO recruitment top priority. They will decide whether to use head hunting or open advertising globally.”
Asked whether this doesn’t amount to vote of no-confidence and betrayal against Eng Bagyenda, Bageya said: “I really don’t want to read the man’s mind. Its better you ask him but what I’m certain of is there comes a time to give way for others. I think he has done his part and has done a very good job for the company.”
The PS explained that once the recruitment process is opened up on running the advert, it will be up to the BoD to determine whether Bagyenda passes the criterion they will have set or not. “He will certainly be free to apply like any other person and it will up to the BoD to determine his suitability,” he explained.
Bageya also rebutted claims that he favors Cornwell Muleya to become the next CEO and that he was only failing to fulfill his goal because some powerful Commissioners at the Works Ministry are uncomfortable having a none Ugandan heading the company in this era when promoting the Local Content policy is synonymous with being politically correct.
Critics also claimed that Bageya, using his position as PS, had permitted Muleya to fill the Company with inadequately experienced/exposed employees formerly from defunct Air Uganda where he (Muleya) served as General Manager.
“There is no problem with former Air Uganda employees being hired to work in Uganda Airlines because with such jobs you need a threshold of understanding those technical things which benefit they have having worked in a similar airline before. They naturally have an edge over the others,” he said. The soft-spoken PS denied fronting Muleya for the position of CEO saying “I’m not even sure if he wants the job but if he is interested, he will have to apply and the BoD will have the last word.”
Bageya also spoke out on a couple of other things including claims that he was stifling rapid recruitment of substantive Directors and Managers at the Company so that he continues “being the Director Finance and Procurement” as the positions remain unoccupied. He explained he was doing all those roles until when Uganda Airlines was incorporated as a Company and designated as a vote (016) on its own meaning he can no longer be signatory to their money. He explained the company account was opened in Standard Chartered bank and the signatories now are the CEO Bagyenda and former Administrator General Mr. Bisereko who is the Ag Director Legal Affairs.
Bageya, who ceased being signatory the moment Uganda Airlines was incorporated as a Company, revealed all the remaining vacant positions with officers in acting capacity would be expeditiously filled now that the new Board is in place. He said several positions had already been advertised including that of Director F&A. He also denied claims that he had influenced the recruitment of a former sales executive at Tulip Golden Hotel to serve as Director Commercial Services for the Airline saying the lady being talked about serves merely as Manager Commercial Services and not Director as non has ever been recruited to serve in that capacity. He said even then her recruitment as Manager was conducted by the taskforce headed by Eng Gad Gasatura and not himself. “I was just a member and not the overall person,” the PS explained.
He also downplayed fears the new BoD wouldn’t perform highly because the Shs3m he is giving them as monthly retainer was too little compared to what Directors earn elsewhere including at Stanbic Bank that gives a retainer of Shs8m. “We benchmarked that on other organizations like UNRA, CAA and even NPA. There will be fuel allowances separately or even accommodation allowances in case the chairman drives from Kabale and has to sleep somewhere in a hotel in Kampala or Entebbe to do company business. I don’t see how anybody says its peanuts,” Bageya explained saying there is also another Shs0.6m to be earned in allowances per sitting.
He stressed that the recruitment of the substantive CEO and officers for other vacant offices would be expedited for Company operations to normalize quickly and for the likes of Patrick Okama (serving as Senior Procurement Officer) to resume duty at their mother station which is Ministry of Works & Transport for whose SGR project he previously executed some procurement errands.
THE FINANCE MEETING
Impeccable sources narrated to Mulengera News how Bagyenda, just like Eng Gad Gasatura, lost favor and a decision was taken they had to be herded out of Uganda Airlines. Sometime back, the two were called to the Finance Ministry during a top management meeting for an opportunity to cajole some key officials that were still reluctant to buy into Uganda Airlines restoration.
They used the meeting to explain how the Airline would be viable and gave a number of conditions that had to be met including avoiding rushing the restoration project. They suggested the commencement of operations be delayed by one year and also recommended a two years delay to commence international flights. They gave their reasons basing on their personal experiences in the aviation industry. Unknown to the two, in that meeting were officials who were out to spy for the President.
They reported to him how the duo were sabotuers working for another hostile country to sabotage Uganda’s dream to return its national airline to the skies. Sources tell Mulengera News that the big man from Rwakitura was so furious he announced he was now ending delegation to get involved in the restoration project more directly and more proactively. That is how his more direct involvement even into the purchase of the Bombardiers whose arrival the country celebrated last April was justified. The President wants this accomplished without any further delay and that is how the fate of foot-draggers Gad Gasatura and Bagyenda was sealed resulting into their exit from the Company they worked so hard to revamp. (For comments, email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
