After a complaint was lodged by COSASE Chairman Joel Ssenyonyi last week, the Kampala Metropolitan police station announced it has begun investigating alleged death threats over the phone.
The Kampala Metropolitan police station has announced it has started investigating alleged death threats by phone after a complaint was lodged last week by the Committee on Commissions, State Authorities, and State Enterprises – COSASE Chairman Joel Ssenyonyi.
Last week as investigations into the authenticity of credentials of Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki continued, the COSASE Chairman raised a complaint that he was receiving threats from Bamuturaki’s relatives requesting him to back off handling the case.
“Yesterday, I got a call from Tourism Minister Tom Butime, threatening & intimidating me over the Uganda Airlines probe, bse apparently Jennifer Bamuturaki is his relative. I’ve reported this at CPS, Ref GEF 60/2022 for it to be on record. No one, I repeat, no one will cause me to back down,” Ssenyonyi wrote on his social media handles last week.
Following the complaint, however, the police have said they have since registered this case and they are already carrying out investigations.
“In this complaint, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi alleges that following his work as the Chairperson of COSASE, which is currently investigating the conduct of business at Uganda Airlines, he has been receiving anonymous calls threatening his life,” Fred Enanga the police spokesperson said.
The alleged threats arose after a number of questions were raised surrounding the academic credentials of Bamuturaki indicating that she is not qualified and did not apply for the job position she currently holds as CEO at the company.
Based on the job requirements and experience that was advertised for the position earlier on, the ideal candidate was required to be in possession of a bachelor’s degree in any field and post-graduate training in administration or any other business-related course.
It also required one to at least have 10 years of aviation experience at a senior management level, the experience in marketing and commercial aspects of the airlines business including knowledge of airline commercial systems.
With this, however, Ssenyonyi indicated that Bamuturaki only holds a Bachelor of Arts (honors) in Social Works and Social Administration which she obtained from Makerere University in 1993 with no additional post-graduate learning and yet it was a prerequisite.
“She only had a B.A SWASA and lacked post graduate training (an extra requirement). Ms Bamuturaki is currently pursuing a post graduate-diploma in Public Administration at Makerere University,” Ssenyonyi said.
“Her highest qualification as of now is a Bachelor’s in Social Works and Social Administration; how comes she was given the job. 40 others who applied perhaps had better qualifications and yet the people she is supervising have masters,” he added.
In her submission, however, Bamuturaki said she holds 15 years of experience in aviation and is well experienced for the job.
She said she has a number of certificates attained at Institutions including IATA that once compiled together can match a diploma course and this on top of her Bachelor’s degree makes her qualified to run for the position.
“It does not matter whether I went to the moon or whether I did MDD, what matters is do I have the skill? And I do. I can’t blame myself for being appointed,” Bamuturaki responded.
“The certificates I have from IATA; if you put them together, they will come to a diploma but I have a degree. It doesn’t matter what I did at degree level, but I have the skill and certification from IATA,” she added.
