Discarding requests to have the media excluded from the Parliament Committee on State Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) probe into the operations of Uganda Airlines, Viola a guest presenter of The Fatboy Show said Ugandans deserve to see into the activities of the airline if it to be trusted.
The Uganda Airlines board yesterday requested the Parliamentary committee to have the probe in the exclusion of media coverage because it was dragging the reputation of the Airline.
The request follows a week into the probing of the CEO of Uganda Airlines Jennifer Bamuturaki, where legislators learned that the CEO was appointed before she applied for the job, did not meet the minimum educational qualifications, and unearthed controversies about her missing academic transcripts.
The request by the Airline board was refuted by the Nakawa West MP Hon Joel Ssenyonyi, who also doubles as the COSASE chairperson.
“As members of the public, we need transparency in the operations of the Airline. Who is the CEO? How she handles her business, we would love to hear that through COSASE.,” said Viola.
“The media has to be there but maybe limited to what they can broadcast. But things to do with documents, we need to find out and know the quality of people hired to take national enterprises forward. If she cannot answer before television, it means there is something hidden,” she posited.
She added that if the airline is to be trusted, Ugandans have a right to access full accountability of its operations.
James Onen, a presenter of the show said that eliminating the media from the proceedings means that the board is “shadier”.
A contributor to the show known as Pius commended COSASE for its job in trying to uncover the details, including the losses it made during its second resurrection.
He thought it prudent that parliament digs deep into national public entities so that the taxpayers get credible accountability for nationally-funded institutions.
“Regarding her documents, why would someone play hide and seek with documents? If you're qualified, prove it to the public. All we need is to double check and see whether the person appointed for the job fits the position,” he added.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, and Sarah every weekday from 6 am to 10 am on RX Radio.