SAFETY SHOCKER! Firefighter shortage hits Entebbe Airport, planes land without fire safety crews, Airlines move to divert flights

The presidential directive to sack over 150 Entebbe Airport staff has started biting and multiple airlines are suffering the blunt.

As we recently exclusively reported, last month, President Museveni ordered Ministry of Works minister Gen.Katumba Wamala to fire with immediate effect 152 airport staff and their recruiters over alleged corruption and insufficient academic qualifications.

And since Thursday, this week, the affected staff have been receiving their sack letters with Security, Fire, Air Traffic Control and Aircraft Marshall departments being the most affected ones.

Insiders told us that over 50 staff from security and 25 from fire departments respectively have been shown exit.

However, this hurried decision against the advice of some CAA top officials is now putting the safety of the airport and traveling public in harm’s way.

For the last three days, sources at the airport whispered to us that passenger jets have been landing at Entebbe airport with either no firefighting service at all or with less than the minimum number of firefighters required to protect air travellers should there be a crash or other emergency incident-in breach of aviation laws.

This is an alarming revelation just weeks after a KLM plane’s engines caught fire on a runaway.

We are told the airport bosses are quiet about the matter and CAA Chief Fire Officer Samuel Atabua has reportedly been ordered not to say any word about the firefighter shortage crisis.

“That is absolutely a breach of the regulations.
This is a risk to air travellers,” says a concerned airport staff who has since asked ISO, CMI and the State House to look into the matter urgently even if it means recalling those who have been fired on the presidential order to avert the crisis.

This new development may not settle well with aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) whose fire safety and rescue procedures outlined by for aircraft and airports, mandates that when the firefighting service is available “there must be enough trained [firefighting] personnel available at the aerodrome to operate the equipment and vehicles required to provide the service at full capacity”.

There are now concerns that some airlines may consider diverting flights to other regional airports over fire crew crisis at Entebbe for their own and passengers safety.

Those who were sacked have been at the airport for over 20 years and had attained necessary training in this field.

Following the sacking of 25 staff from fire department, we are told those remaining are being overworked without set work hours and rostering.

Whereas they have been working in shifts, those who remained have been ordered to work full-time leading to fatigue and related errors.

We are also told this is the same dilemma facing the security department with passengers arriving and leaving without through checks because of being overworked something that exposes the airport to potential security threats by subversive elements.

Security department lost over 50 staff following President Museveni purge letter.

“As we speak the airport is under attack with less numbers of staff especially in security, fire, Air traffic controllers and aircraft marshallers department. A few available staff are being called back from leave. As you may be aware, operational departments [shift workers] numbers matter for efficiency and effectiveness of work,” reveals an insider at the airport.

ICAO AUDIT LOOMS

The staffing crisis also comes at a time when Entebbe Airport is bracing for a major Audit scheduled for December 10-17 conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The audit, part of ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), will assess Uganda’s compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices.

The audit conducted by ICAO is one of the most important objective tools for assessing the security system of civil aviation of the state.

Low assessment on the results of the ICAO audit may lead to serious negative consequences such as restrictions on flights by other countries.

The aviation security audit is a comprehensive check on the airport security system

CAA has not yet responded.

To make matters worse, it is not clear when CAA will replace the sacked firefighters given the rigorous testing and training required to become an air-traffic controller or aviation firefighter.
There are now broader concerns about the shortage of aviation fire crews at the Airport who are trained to reach any part of the runway within three minutes and control fires within 90 seconds of arrival.
They are also trained to use a special chemical foam which is specific to aircrafts.

“Will the manpower gaps be covered and if covered will it be efficient enough to operate since these trainings are built over a period of time that lead to ICAO certification or UCAA management will seat and fold their hands while surrendering the country’s only airport at risk,” wonders an industry watcher.

This corroborates with what CAA Director General Fred Bamwesigye pointed out recently following the president’s directive.

In a detailed letter to the State Minister for Works and Transport Fred Byamukama, Bamwesigye mounted a partial defense of the implicated employees, warning of the operational and institutional risks of a mass purge without due process.

In his communication accessed by the media Bamwesigye explained that the verification exercise of staff academic documents was initiated internally by UCAA in February 2024, following suspicious discoveries during a November 2023 recruitment drive for aviation security officers.

He noted that some applicants were found with forged papers and were not recruited. This prompted a broader investigation into the existing workforce, in collaboration with the Ministry of Works.

The results, according to the letter, revealed 82 staff members with forged or questionable academic documents out of 2,688 records reviewed.

However, Bamwesigye stressed that the cases span decades and were not necessarily a result of current recruitment malpractice.

He added that academic verification was not standard practice during recruitment or promotions in the past, with emphasis previously placed on aptitude tests and industry certifications.

The Director General expressed concern over the anxiety within the affected staff and departments, and warns that most of the implicated individuals occupy critical roles in air safety, security, and operations.

“Most of these staff have been trained and they constitute among our best personnel in the industry,” Bamwesigye notes, highlighting the human development investment made in the aviation sub-sector.
He further emphasizes that UCAA had established a disciplinary committee, which has already heard 54 of the 82 staff, and promised the process was to conclude within one month and final recommendations would then be submitted to the ministry for guidance.

However, before this process could end, CAA Human Resource Director Sabah Ahmed Kakooza in cohorts with Works Ministry State Minister Fred Byamukama went on to issue dismissal letters with some industry insiders accusing the duo of expressing ‘aviation industry ignorance’.

“Safety has been thrown out the window,” said an industry watcher.

WAS M7 FED WRONG INFO?

The hastened directive has, however, drawn mixed reactions in the corridors of UCAA, Ministry of Works and intelligence bodies especially the Internal Security Organization (ISO).

According to confidential information obtained by this publication, there are whispers that the president may have relied on “biased and incorrect” information to issue the directive.

Highly placed sources privy with the on-goings intimated to us that since 2022, there has been a silent plot led by CAA Director Human Resource and Administration, Sabah Ahmed Kakooza to kick-out some staff and replace them with friends, relatives and others.

To mask this, an academic audit was instituted targeting experienced-long serving staff at CAA.

These are staff who have been at CAA for 20 to 30 years.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority was established in 1994.

So, in essence, these are the initial staff who were picked from the Ministry of Works, the mother ministry that oversaw aviation matters before the CAA’s creation.

These individuals were essentially head hunted, vetted, trained and went on to inherit the newly formed CAA, hence a transition of personnel and expertise from the existing government structure.

But, in the grand scheme of things, the CAA HR insisted they were not properly recruited, lack requisite academic papers and had to go.

These staff targeted for firing are also likely to lose out on retirement benefits.

There are concerns that firing such personnel en-masse who have got specialized aviation training will create a critical skills gap-as already happening – potentially impacting airport security and operations given the increasing complexity and volume of air travel, which necessitates a well-trained workforce.

We are told her move was not welcomed by some officials at CAA and as well the Ministry of Works, but saw an ally in her ‘close, special friend’ State Minister for Works and Transport-Fred Byamukama.

Having failed to justify the real motive, sources say, the Maama Maria Nyerere lift incident which even happened months back was like manna from heaven and they had to milk it.

We are told this is how the junior minister wrote to President Museveni recommending action.

CAA HR’s RELATIVE ON THE SPOT

In a twist of events, a relative of CAA’s Director Human Resource and Administration, Sabah Ahmed Kakooza, who was illegally recruited at the authority by the former as a Plant & Technician is responsible for such maintenance including a lift where Maama Maria Nyerere got stuck in.

“We have never had a lift related incident. How come this happened when her brother [Saidi Ahmed] was posted in the same department illegally? Was there any deliberate foul play or lift tampering for the HR to achieve her plans? This should be investigated,” pleads one of those concerned.

He adds: “Before action is taken, those concerned are asking the president to first review the information that he was given. All these were lies. Yes, the Maama Maria Nyerere lift incident happened but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to target long serving, experienced, patriotic staff. We call upon the ISO, Minister Wamala, Prime Minister Nabbanja and others copied in the letter to investigate further and get to the bottom of the matter.”

HOW CAA HR IGNORED ISO VETTING TEAM’S FINDINGS TO RECRUIT RELATIVE

This publication exclusively reported about this scandal last year.

In 2023, CAA advertised Security Assistant jobs. These are tasked with protection and safety of passengers and crew, ground personnel, the general
public, aircraft, airport facilities and navigational aids.

All applicants’ names had to be sent to the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) for vetting, first—and this was done in a letter (Ref: UCAA/04/SV/114) dated 16 November, 2023 by UCAA to the former.

On December 8, 2023, ISO sent back names of applicants who had been rejected by the vetting team.

“The following applicants are not recommended: Ahmed Saidi, Musoke Sula, Margret Tibakanya, Daniel Bukenya, George Otika and Taremwa Kenneth Akandwanaho,” the confidential letter reads, implying that security related adverse records had been traced on them.

In the same letter, ISO did not trace security related adverse records on Kamahoro Brenda Bitangaro, Kahubire Sheila, Nyakato Deborah, Ntende Philix, Najjumba Sharon and Kembabazi Rossette: they were recommended for employment.

ISO REJECTED APPLICANT SNEAKED IN

A year later (2024), one of the rejected applicants by ISO’s vetting team was spotted at Entebbe International Airport as a staff member.

He has been identified as Saidi Ahmed and a biological brother to the HR.

Our investigations show that he was appointed in July this as a Plant & Technician. According to the appointment letter signed by CAA’s HR, his one year contract was to run from July 22, 2024 to July 21, 2025 with a consolidated salary of Shs 2,070,000.

However, one wonders how he got the job and whether he was cleared by security given that he had previously been rejected after the ISO vetting team managed to trace security related adverse records on him.

“Who cleared him to work at a security sensitive area like the Airport yet he had been previously rejected by the ISO vetting team?” wonders one of the concerned insiders at the Airport.

There are fears that many staffers could have slipped in through the backdoor without going through vetting processes.

“The Airport is at risk if a Human Resource Officer can recruit someone who failed the vetting process. The Airport is not safe at all. How many have been recruited in this style? How long has this been going on? When will this stop? Who gives the HR such powers? She needs to be checked or else potential terrorists may end up being recruited,” adds a source in security circles who prefers not to be named because he is not authorized.

Sabah Ahmed replaced Pascal Jabbe Osinde Osudo in 2022 as UCAA Director Human Resource and Administration following the latter’s acrimonious exit.

There are now reports that most UCAA top bosses have fallen out with Sabah over her conduct but this is a story for another day.

She previously worked at URA in various positions for 12 years.

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