State House has officially dismissed widespread social media claims suggesting that President Yoweri Museveni appointed former Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake as the new head of Uganda Airlines.
President Museveni’s Senior Press Secretary, Sandor Lye, clarified that no such appointment has been made, stressing that recent engagements involving Girma Wake were purely consultative and focused on aviation management discussions not a leadership takeover at the national carrier.
The clarification follows viral claims sparked by Minister Balaam Barugahara, who earlier announced on social media that the 82-year-old aviation veteran had been appointed to lead Uganda Airlines.
The post quickly gained traction, attracting over 1,300 likes and fuelling nationwide speculation about the airline’s leadership.
However, State House has now labelled the reports as misinformation, urging the public to rely only on official communication channels for government appointments.
Uganda Airlines has been without a substantive CEO since the abrupt exit of Jennifer Bamuturaki, whose departure came amid mounting financial pressures, growing debts and operational challenges at the struggling national carrier.
Authorities have since confirmed that the recruitment process for a new CEO is still ongoing.
Public reaction online has been mixed, with many users expressing scepticism and frustration over recurring misinformation, while others criticised what they described as weak government communication.
For now, government maintains that Girma Wake has not been appointed to any leadership position at Uganda Airlines, and any official changes will be communicated through proper channels.
