Cabinet approves Uganda airlines board of directors

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cabinet has approved the board of directors for Uganda National Airlines Company Limited. 

The board of seven directors will be chaired by Ahabwe Godfrey Pereza. Ahabwe is a former MP for Rubanda East constituency and Minister of State for Local Government.  

Transport economist, Benon Kajuna will represent Ministry of works and Transport and Godfrey Ssemugooma will represent Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. 

Other members are Catherine Asinde Poran and Rehema N. Mutazindwa, the two female nominees are from private sector while Charles Hamya and Stephene Aziku Zua are also members of the board.  

The Government Chief Whip, Ruth Nankabirwa says that the seven nominees were selected on the basis of experience and ability to oversee the revival of the national airline. She particularly praises Ahabwe as having the needed qualifications of a chairperson, following his tenure in parliament, in the executive as well as in the academia.         

Nankabirwa says that cabinet is very confident that the proposed board will ensure that the national airline becomes a viable entity as projected in the business plan.

The board will is expected to appear before the parliamentary appointments committee for approval.

The cabinet decision follows a Parliamentary directive that the budget for Uganda National Airlines shall not be passed without the Institution of a substantive board. 

While approving the 280 billion shillings supplementary budget for the purchase of the two Bombardier planes from Canada, parliament tasked government to put in a place a substantive Board of Directors for Uganda National Airlines Company Limited.  

At the time, MPs agreed that the Ministries of Works and Finance, which own shares in the company, appoint a substantive and competent board and submit the names to the sector committee for scrutiny.  

Parliament directed that the Board must be instituted by April 30th, 2019 as a prerequisite for allocating funds for operations of the national airlines. 

The airline is slated to get 575.8 billion shillings in 2019/2020 national budget estimates.

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URN