Thirteen officials and technical staff of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) are in Kigo Prison over a string of security breaches and vandalism at Entebbe International Airport. Chief Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis of the Entebbe Chief Magistrate's Court remanded them on Monday until November 18, when she will rule on bail. All 13 denied the charges, the Nile Post reported.
Prosecutors opposed bail, the Daily Monitor reported. They argued that releasing the suspects could hurt ongoing investigations because several co-accused are still at large. Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama said the breaches caused about Shs3.7 billion in direct damage. He put the cost of full repairs at about Shs23 billion.
In one case, IT manager Dr James Mubiru, Doreen Atukwase, Richard Mulenzi and Engineer Geoffrey Wanyama face neglect of duty charges over the server room. Prosecutors say Mubiru failed to supervise his juniors, while Atukwase and Mulenzi did not secure the room's keys. Wanyama allegedly failed to fix a faulty biometric lock. On January 5, 2026, an unauthorised person allegedly got into the room. The Daily Monitor named her as Sandra Agaath Namugalwa. She allegedly cut off check-in counters and flight display screens for about two hours.
In a separate case, four staff face charges under the Electricity Act, 2023, the Nile Post reported. They are accused of cutting and stealing UCAA electrical wires between February and August 2026. Chief Engineer Herbert Ngobi is accused of failing to protect lightning arresters on the cargo terminal roof, which were vandalised in October 2024. Prosecutors say he also failed to detect and report cable vandalism in September 2026, which forced aircraft to divert.
Investigators listed other losses, according to the Daily Monitor. Copper cables worth Shs800 million, used for pilot approach lighting at night, were vandalised in January. Cargo centre lighting worth another Shs800 million was sabotaged in June after someone entered a locked electrical room. Byamukama said breaches across such heavily guarded zones point to an inside job by technical staff.
Defence lawyer Bruno Sserunkuma told the court that detention conditions were poor. "Some of them have been sleeping on the floor since they were arrested," he said. He added that the suspects had been moved from Entebbe to Natete. That made it harder for lawyers and families to reach them.
The arrests followed an airport inspection led by Byamukama with Criminal Investigations Directorate detectives. The Daily Monitor reported that President Museveni approved the operation after intelligence reports of widespread negligence and insider connivance.