Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Ugandans are complaining about corrupt airline officials who are extorting them for dollars for luggage and spaces at Entebbe Airport, Uganda.
A man called Bob Byamugisha has been key in tormenting Ugandans traveling through Entebbe Airport and asking for bribes.
Make him famous.
“Entebbe airport is full of ignorant, arrogant, incompetent, corrupt beings …These guys’ main job is to make travelers miss their flights. Recently I missed my flight because I refused to give them 1,000 dollars they asked for so they could allow me on the flight whose ticket I already had. Oyo alina Sente, waba tatuwadde tajja kujilinnya” [‘He has money. He won’t board the plane without giving us some money”] one of them told the colleague; with an angry face like a muwuulu who sent transport money to a sure only for her not show up,” reads a Wednesday tweet authored by Ugandan musician Donald Rugambwa Rutaisire, known by his stage name as Don MC Kapata.
Mr Rugambwa is just one of the many travelers whose concerns the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) says it is addressing.
In a statement released Thursday following several complaints of extortion and missed flights at Uganda’s only international Airport located in Wakiso District, the aviation authority said it does not in any way condone such acts (extortion) and that where such incidents have happened, it is “highly regrettable and unacceptable.”
“It is important for the public to know that while UCAA facilitates operations at Entebbe International Airport, this is done in liaison with several independent providers of key services, including, but not limited to Immigration, handling agents (NAS and DAS), airlines, Ministry of Health through port health, Security agencies, URA customs, and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Labour externalization agents), among others,” reads part of the Thursday statement issued by UCAA management.
According to the aviation authority, previously reported cases with specific details have been thoroughly investigated and where staff of various agencies operating at the airport were found culpable, serious disciplinary action was taken, including termination of contracts and withdrawal of airport access passes from them, among others. “Unfortunately, none of the regurgitated trending videos [on TikTok], specifically states a particular check point, time, day and flight details of when the alleged extortion may have taken place. This would help the investigations. We are contacting the parties in the TikTok videos to share with us information that can guide us to take quick action. In the past, we have investigated similar generalised claims made on TikTok, but unfortunately no specific information was established to corroborate the claims,” the statement added.
However, the complaints were not only made on TikTok.
Controversial Ugandan blogger Ibrahim Tusubira, popularly known as Isma Olaxess through his Facebook account also accused some of the airport staff of extortion.
The videos have since led to Twitter posts in which travellers recount their encounters with corrupt airport officials.
The allegations range from immigration officials disputing documents to tampering with travellers' luggage.
In a statement, responding to the latest allegations, UCVAA said it had reached out to numerous TikTok users for assistance in cracking down on the alleged corruption.
The UCVAA in a statement:
We are contacting the parties in the TikTok videos to share the information that can guide us to take quick action.
UCVAA facilitates operations at the Entebbe International Airport, where numerous government arms, such as immigration-contracted handling agents, and ministry of health and state security agents, play different roles.
The alleged bribes range from at least US$100 (about R1 700), depending on circumstances.
UCVAA wants the public to come forward because "none of the regurgitated videos specifically states a particular checkpoint, time, day and flight details of where the alleged extortion might have taken place".
But to avoid the public from giving in to the corruption, UCVAA said that at no point should travellers be "lured or compelled into paying money to any staff they interface in the course of their travel through Entebbe International Airport"...
Last year, according to reports in Uganda, three immigration officers were arrested at Entebbe International Airport on allegations of abuse of office after they reportedly caused a traveller to miss her flight. It was claimed that she had forged clearance documents from the Office of the Prime Minister.
They were arrested after a whistleblower tip-off.
Uganda is the 144th least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.
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