The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has extended criminal summons against Professor Wasswa Balunywa, the former Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), to September 2, 2025, following a submission from his legal team citing ill health.
Prof. Balunywa was expected to appear before court on Wednesday, after being served with a criminal summons last week. The summons were issued after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo, sanctioned charges of abuse of office against him.
According to the charge sheet, Balunywa is accused of irregularly recruiting three individuals—Arike James, Nuwagira Nathan, and Nimrod Kakayi—as Administrative Assistants in March 2023, despite them reportedly lacking the minimum academic qualifications required for the positions.
He is jointly charged with Jacqueline Namaganda, the former Acting Director of Human Resources and current Chief Quality Assurance Officer at MUBS.
The prosecution alleges that between March 18 and 28, 2023, while serving as MUBS Principal, Prof. Balunywa abused his office by appointing the three individuals without following lawful recruitment procedures.
“Prof. Balunywa recruited Nimrod Kakayi as an Administrative Assistant well knowing that he did not have the minimum academic qualifications for the position, thereby creating ineligible costs for the Government of Uganda,” said DPP Abodo.
Namaganda is accused of neglect of duty, for allegedly failing to properly assess the eligibility of the appointees, which enabled their improper employment.
The DPP contends that these actions not only violated recruitment standards but also caused financial loss to the government due to salaries paid to unqualified individuals.
This case unfolds amid ongoing high-profile investigations into the alleged mismanagement of UGX 53 billion, reportedly paid to ghost beneficiaries listed on the government payroll.
Last week, more than eight officials from various government entities—including the Civil Aviation Authority, Uganda Police, MUBS, and Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital—were charged and remanded over their alleged involvement in the payroll scandal.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Uganda Police continues to pursue additional suspects believed to be linked to the wider corruption scheme.
