Law
Anti Corruption Court Releases Former MUBS Professor Balunywa On Bail
Professor Waswa Balunywa, the former Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), has been released on bail by the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala after spending three days in Luzira Prison. He had been remanded over allegations of abuse of office.
Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze granted him bail in two separate cases after finding his sureties substantial and stressing the principle that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Balunywa was ordered to pay a total of 15 million shillings in cash, while his sureties were bonded at varying sums.
Balunywa who led MUBS for more than 20 years is accused of irregular staff recruitment.
In one case, prosecution allege that in March 2023, he unlawfully appointed three individuals, James Arike, Nimrod Kakayi, and Nathan Niwagira, as Administrative Assistants, despite them lacking the required academic qualifications. He is jointly charged in this matter with Jacqueline Namaganda, the Acting Human Resource Director at MUBS, who has already been granted bail.
The second case alleges that between 2020 and 2023, Balunywa recruited more than 200 academic, administrative, and support staff without the approval of the Appointments Committee, the body legally mandated to make such decisions.
These cases are part of a broader probe into a 53 billion shilling corruption scandal that cuts across several public institutions, including the Uganda Police Force and the Civil Aviation Authority. So far, at least 15 individuals have appeared in court, with more expected to face trial.
For the first case, Balunywa was required to pay a cash payment of 5 million shillings, while his sureties were bonded at 15 million each. In the second, he was ordered to deposit 10 million shillings in cash, with each surety bonded at 100 million shillings.
Balunywa presented several prominent sureties, including his brother, Dr. Muhammad Ngoma, Vice Chancellor of Kampala International University; Professor Sudi Nangoli, Managing Director of Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation; his son, Ali Balunywa, a Sales Director at Airtel Uganda; and his sister, Hajjati Zawudi Ndifuna, Director of Mbogo Schools. Others included Busoga Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister Osman Noor Ahmed, Kigulu County South MP Milton Muwuma, his wife Asha Bukenya, and Hajji Faisal Ndifuna, Director of Kinaawa High School. The sureties submitted land titles, identification documents, and bank statements to demonstrate their financial capacity.
His lawyers, Shamim Nalule and Asuman Matovu, described him as a respected 69-year-old citizen with no prior criminal record, noting that he voluntarily presented himself to court despite first hearing about the case through the media. He also surrendered his passport and provided a land title in Iganga District as part of his commitment to comply with court requirements.
Principal Assistant DPP Caroline Nabaasa initially objected his bail application, arguing that many of his sureties were close relatives or younger than him, and that he had only appeared after summons were issued, with earlier attempts to contact him failing. However, in the second application, she did not object but asked the court to impose strict conditions since some sureties were outside its jurisdiction.
After weighing both sides, Magistrate Nakyazze granted bail, ruling that the sureties were substantial and reaffirming the presumption of innocence. A pre-trial hearing for the second case has been scheduled for October 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
Professor Balunywa and Namaganda are among 30 suspects being investigated in connection with the scandal. His involvement, given his long-standing influence in business education, has drawn significant public interest and reignited debate over corruption in Uganda’s public institutions.
Comments
