The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), led by Rt Hon Robina Nabanja, has found itself embroiled in a financial crisis involving the hiring of helicopters from both the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and a private aviation company, Bar Aviation Limited, located in Kajjansi along Entebbe Road.
This saga has highlighted significant accountability issues within the government, raising questions about how taxpayer money is being used for such services.
Since her appointment, Prime Minister Robina Nabanja frequently relied on UPDF helicopters to attend various official engagements across the country.
The use of military resources for such purposes, while not unusual, became a matter of concern as the cost of these services rapidly escalated.
According to multiple sources, the accumulated bill for helicopter services soared into the billions of shillings, prompting the UPDF AirForce to halt its operations with the OPM due to the non-payment of outstanding debts.
The UPDF leadership had reportedly issued numerous notices to the OPM demanding payment, but their efforts to recover the funds were met with a deadlock.
Sources close to the matter revealed that despite repeated reminders and pressure from the military, the OPM failed to settle the mounting debt.
The situation grew increasingly dire, and it was suggested that the Prime Minister look for alternative solutions to keep operations moving.
In light of the UPDF’s decision to cut off services, the OPM turned to a private aviation firm, Bar Aviation, owned by businessman Barak Orland.
For a time, Bar Aviation provided the helicopters needed for the Prime Minister’s travels. However, as the debt with the private firm continued to grow without any signs of payment, Bar Aviation was forced to follow suit and suspend its services to the OPM as well.
Late last year, this website had the opportunity to speak with Dorothy Kagaba Byenkya, who was at the time the Marketing Manager of Bar Aviation.
Byenkya confirmed that the OPM owed the company a significant amount of money. However, she also noted that efforts were being made to resolve the situation amicably, with both parties working together in an attempt to prevent further losses.
This was especially critical, she explained, as the OPM had been actively recommending Bar Aviation to several other organizations and individuals, which the company hoped would lead to more business opportunities.
Unfortunately, despite these best efforts, the outstanding bill continued to mount, and Bar Aviation ultimately resorted to sending debt collectors to recover the owed funds. However, even these measures proved ineffective, and Bar Aviation made the difficult decision to cease all services to the OPM.
When contacted again for comment, Byenkya revealed that she was no longer managing the OPM account and, as a result, was not in a position to provide any updates on the matter.
We inquired from to the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ms Immaculate, who had taken over the responsibility.
TrumpetNews then reached out to Immaculate, who confirmed that Bar Aviation had indeed stopped flying for the OPM due to the unresolved debt. When asked how much was still owed, Immaculate responded with a sharp inquiry, “This is a private business, what is your interest?”
She was reminded that the OPM uses taxpayer funds, and therefore the public has a right to know how these resources are being spent. In response, she again questioned the motives behind the inquiry, asking, “How did you get my number?” Immaculate then denied being the COO of Bar Aviation and abruptly ended the conversation, stating that she had been out of the country and on roaming when the call began. “You have called a wrong person.”
Meanwhile, Alex Kakooza, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary to the OPM, was also contacted for comment. Kakooza assured the reporter that he would get back to them with further details. However, by the time of this report’s publication, no follow-up had been received.
This ongoing issue has raised serious concerns about accountability within the OPM, especially as sources suggest that funds allocated for official purposes have been diverted into political activities. These activities are believed to be a significant drain on resources that were meant for serving the public interest, further fueling suspicions of financial mismanagement within the office.
