Parliament on Tuesday turned its attention to the corruption and abuse of office charges against former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) principal, Prof. Waswa Balunywa with legislators urging Speaker Anita Among to intervene.
Iganga Municipality MP, Peter Mugema, popularly known as Panadol, claimed that Balunywa was being unfairly targeted or witch-hunted.
“Prof. Balunywa is being witch-hunted and used as a bet to test if the Speaker can rescue a Musoga following her election to the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC),” Mugema told the House.
Mugema noted that Prof. Balunywa was illegally arrested, arguing that those who remanded him claimed he had recruited two staff members whose names are not reflected anywhere.
He said, “This is a selective approach being used to test whether the Speaker can stand up for the Basoga.”
Mugema also took a personal moment to thank the Speaker, saying: “I want to appreciate you for taking care of the medical bills of my deceased daughter.”
Bugiri Municipality MP, Asuman Basalirwa, criticized the government for allegedly manipulating Balunywa’s case.
“Government controversially amended the charge sheet of Prof. Balunywa which raises serious concerns about fairness and due process,” he said.
Speaker Among however, cut his submission short, telling the House that “the issue of Balunywa is being handled.”
Prof. Balunywa was arrested and arraigned before Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze on September 2, 2025. He was charged with two counts of abuse of office and corruption before being remanded to Luzira Prison.
According to the charge sheet, Balunywa is accused of unlawfully appointing three individuals—James Arike, Nathan Nuwagira, and Nimrod Kakayi as administrative assistants between March 18 and March 28, 2023, without the required academic qualifications. He is jointly charged with former acting Human Resources Director at MUBS, Jacqueline Namaganda, who allegedly neglected her duty to verify their eligibility.
In a separate file, prosecutors accuse Balunywa of irregularly recruiting more than 200 staff members—including 103 academic, 17 administrative and 69 support personnel between 2020 and 2023 without the approval of the MUBS Appointments Committee.
Balunywa pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors opposed bail, arguing that he had previously skipped summonses and that the offenses were serious in nature. His sureties, including his brother, Prof. Muhammad Ngoma (Vice Chancellor of Kampala International University), Prof. Sudi Nangoli, and his son, Ali Balunywa; were deemed insufficient by the court.
Chief Magistrate Nakyazze deferred a ruling on his bail application to September 5, 2025, remanding him to Luzira Prison until then.
