Just In: Former MUBS Principal Balunywa Remanded Over Ghost Workers Scandal

By Our Reporter

For more than two decades, Prof. Wasswa Balunywa was celebrated as the face of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), steering the institution into one of the country’s most respected centres of higher learning. On Tuesday, however, the retired academic found himself on the other side of history—standing in the dock at the Anti-Corruption Court.

The 69-year-old former principal was charged with abuse of office and remanded to Luzira Prison, accused of sanctioning irregular staff recruitments that prosecutors say created unnecessary costs to the government. His co-accused, Jacqueline Namaganda, the former acting Human Resource Director at MUBS and now Chief Quality Assurance Officer, faces charges of neglect of duty for allegedly failing to scrutinize the recruits’ qualifications.

Prosecutors have since disclosed that a broader case file is also being prepared, involving more than 103 academic staff, 17 administrative officers, and 69 support staff whose appointments reportedly bypassed the university’s Appointments Committee.

The courtroom drama has marked a stunning reversal for a man once hailed as a reformist who expanded MUBS’ academic programs and visibility. Supporters, including his brother Muhammad Ngoma, Vice-Chancellor of Kampala International University, and his son, Ali Balunywa, stood as sureties to secure his release, insisting that he is not a flight risk and that he served Uganda faithfully.

But state prosecutors remain firm, opposing his bail application and stressing the gravity of the charges. Chief Magistrate Racheal Nakyazze will rule on his bail plea on September 5.

Balunywa’s trial has ignited debate within academic and political circles about governance in public universities, where staff recruitment and promotion processes have long been marred by allegations of irregularities, patronage, and corruption.

For many observers, the case is not just about the fate of one academic giant but about whether Uganda is finally drawing a hard line on accountability in its higher education institutions.