Professor Waswa Balunywa, former Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), has been remanded to Luzira Prison on multiple charges of abuse of office.
He appeared before Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges in two separate cases.
In the first case, prosecutors allege that between March 18 and 28, 2023, Balunywa illegally appointed three individuals Arike James, Nimrod Kakayi, and Nathan Niwagira as Administrative Assistants, despite their lack of the required academic qualifications. These appointments reportedly led to unnecessary government expenditure.
Jacqueline Namaganda, the Acting Human Resource Director at MUBS, was jointly charged and released on a cash bail of UGX 4 million last week.
In the second case, Balunywa is accused of unlawfully appointing 103 academic staff, 17 administrative staff, and 69 support staff between 2020 and 2023 actions that, according to the law, should have been handled by the university’s Appointments Committee.
State prosecutor Caroline Nabaasa informed the court that investigations are complete and requested time for disclosure ahead of trial. Balunywa’s legal team, led by Shamim Nalule and Asuman Matovu, applied for bail and asked that the same sureties from the first case be accepted for both. However, the magistrate ordered new sureties.
Those who came forward as sureties included Balunywa’s brother Dr. Muhammed Ngoma (Vice Chancellor, Kampala International University), his son Ali Balunywa (Sales Director, Airtel Uganda), Professor Sudi Nangoli (Managing Director, Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation), and his sister Hajjati Ndifuna Zawudi (Director, Mbogo Schools). His legal team also submitted his passport and a land title from Bukoyo, Iganga District, as part of the bail application.
The prosecution opposed the bail, questioning whether the sureties could ensure Balunywa’s return to court. They noted that he only appeared after a criminal summons and had previously been unreachable.
Balunywa is scheduled to reappear in court on September 5, 2025, when the magistrate will rule on the bail application and proceed with the second case.
He and Namaganda are among 30 individuals accused of causing the government a loss of UGX 53 billion across multiple state institutions, including the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and the Uganda Police Force. So far, 15 suspects have been arraigned.