The former head of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Prof Waswa Balunywa, has been released on bail after spending three days in Luzira Prison over allegations of abuse of office.
Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze of the Anti-Corruption Court granted bail in two separate cases, stressing the principle of presumption of innocence. Balunywa was ordered to pay a total of Shs 15m in cash, while his sureties were bonded in varying amounts.
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The 69-year-old, who led MUBS for more than 20 years before retiring in 2022, is accused of making irregular staff appointments. Prosecutors allege that in March 2023 he unlawfully recruited three administrative assistants who did not meet the required qualifications, creating an undue financial burden on government. He faces these charges jointly with MUBS’ acting human resources director, Jacqueline Namaganda, who is also out on bail.
In a separate case, prosecutors claim that between 2020 and 2023, Prof Balunywa authorised the recruitment of more than 200 academic, administrative, and support staff outside the lawful mandate of the appointments committee.
The cases form part of a broader inquiry into a Shs 53 billion corruption scandal spanning several state institutions, including the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. At least 15 suspects have appeared in court, with more expected.
Prof Balunywa’s bail applications were supported by a team of sureties that included his brother, Dr Muhammad Ngoma, vice chancellor of Kampala International University; Prof Sudi Nangoli, managing director of Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation; his son, Ali Balunywa, sales director at Airtel Uganda; his sister, educationist Hajjati Zawudi Ndifuna; and Busoga Kingdom deputy premier, Osman Noor Ahmed. Other sureties included MP Milton Muwuma, his wife Asha Bukenya, and educationist Hajji Faisal Ndifuna.
His lawyers argued that Prof Balunywa is a respected academic with no criminal record, pointing to his age and voluntary appearance in court as grounds for bail. They also noted that he had surrendered his passport and a land title in Iganga to demonstrate commitment to complying with court conditions.
While the prosecution initially objected to his release, raising concerns about the suitability of his sureties and his earlier failure to appear in court, it did not oppose the second bail application. Magistrate Nakyazze ruled in favour of his release, citing the credibility of his sureties and the presumption of innocence.
A pre-trial hearing in the second case has been scheduled for 15 October 2025.
Prof Balunywa, a long-serving academic administrator, is among 30 people under investigation in the high-profile corruption probe, which has intensified debate about integrity in Uganda’s public institutions.
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