MPs want firm policy on ground handling services at Entebbe Airport
The decision by the committee comes amidst allegations from several Ugandans on social media, concerning corruption tendencies and extortion by airport staff.
MPs on the Budget Committee want a firm policy position on ground handling services at Entebbe International Airport.
This arose on Friday while the Committee on Physical Infrastructure was presenting before the Budget Committee the report on Budget Framework Paper for the works sector for FY 2023/24.
“We took a decision to revamp Uganda Airline, but we kept mum on cargo handling services,” Hon Paul Omara (Otuke County) said.
In response, the Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, David Karubanga, said Uganda Airlines was in February 2022 given self-handling rights to manage cargo and it will embark on it as soon as the existing contracts with private air cargo handlers expire.
The decision by the committee comes amidst allegations from several Ugandans on social media, concerning corruption tendencies and extortion by airport staff.
However, in a public notice released by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, it clarified that circulating videos do not indicate time, checkpoint, day, flight details or when the extortion was done on the individual complaining.
This, therefore, according to the authority’s statement, hinders further investigations, hence calling upon the victim who recorded the video to provide necessary details to aid investigations about the matter.
“We are contacting the parties in the TikTok video to share with us information that can guide us to take quick action. In the past, we have investigated similar generalized claims made on TikTok, but no specific information was established to corroborate the claims,” the notice read in parts.
The authority urged the travelling public not to be lured into paying money to any staff they interface with, in the course of travelling through Entebbe International Airport.
