MP Zambali Fires Back at Critics Over Uganda Airlines Praise, Credits Ssenyonyi for Exposing Airline Rot

Nansana Municipality Member of Parliament Zambali Bulasio Mukasa has hit back at critics who attacked him after he publicly praised Uganda Airlines and its current management, insisting that his remarks were not meant to erase the problems previously exposed at the national carrier.

Zambali said his comments were instead intended to recognise the work done by former Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) chairperson Joel Ssenyonyi, who led Parliament’s scrutiny of Uganda Airlines before later becoming Leader of the Opposition.

The MP’s clarification comes amid a heated public debate over the performance of Uganda Airlines, with his recent praise for the carrier and its current leadership attracting criticism from some members of the public and political commentators.

Critics questioned how an opposition politician could commend the airline’s management after years of parliamentary scrutiny over alleged financial and administrative shortcomings.

Zambali, however, has rejected the interpretation that his comments amounted to a blanket endorsement of everything that has happened at Uganda Airlines.

Instead, he says the credit should be traced back to the parliamentary accountability process that exposed weaknesses within the national carrier.

Ssenyonyi chaired COSASE from 2021 until January 2024, when he became Leader of the Opposition. During his tenure, the committee investigated Uganda Airlines following concerns raised by the Auditor General.

The 2022 inquiry attracted considerable public attention, with airline officials appearing before the committee to respond to questions concerning financial management, procurement and operations. Contemporary reporting documented concerns surrounding the airline’s financial losses and procurement practices.

The probe also became politically contentious after the COSASE report was submitted to Parliament. Ssenyonyi later complained that the report had not been debated in the manner he expected and argued that Ugandans deserved to know the findings of the investigation.

It is against this background that Zambali says his praise should be understood.

Rather than celebrating the airline while ignoring its troubled history, the Nansana MP argues that the scrutiny undertaken under Ssenyonyi helped force attention onto problems that had previously attracted limited public discussion.

The controversy highlights the complicated political debate surrounding Uganda Airlines, which remains a state-owned national carrier and continues to attract government investment and parliamentary scrutiny.

In January 2024, Parliament considered a proposed Shs120.9 billion allocation to support the airline, with lawmakers questioning whether the carrier could eventually become financially self-sustaining. At the time, MPs also revisited the airline’s earlier losses and concerns over its operational expenditure.

Zambali’s latest remarks therefore put him at odds with those who interpreted his praise as a political defence of the current management.

His position is that acknowledging progress at the airline does not require Ugandans to forget the problems that were exposed through parliamentary oversight.

The dispute also places renewed focus on Ssenyonyi’s role in the Uganda Airlines saga. The former COSASE chairman has repeatedly maintained that his committee’s investigation brought accountability concerns into the public spotlight.

For Zambali, therefore, praising aspects of the airline’s current performance and recognising the role played by Ssenyonyi are not contradictory.

His message to critics appears clear: acknowledging improvements at a national institution should not automatically be interpreted as abandoning the accountability questions that helped expose its earlier weaknesses.

The latest exchange is likely to keep Uganda Airlines at the centre of political debate, particularly as Parliament and the public continue to scrutinise the performance, financial sustainability and management of the national carrier.