Prof. Balunywa Granted Bail After Three Days in Luzira
Former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) principal Prof. Waswa Balunywa has walked free from Luzira Prison after the Anti-Corruption Court granted him bail on Friday, three days after he was remanded on charges of irregular recruitment and abuse of office.
Presiding Chief Magistrate Racheal Nakyazze set stringent bail conditions, requiring the 69-year-old scholar to deposit Shs 5 million cash in one case and Shs 10 million in another. His sureties were each bonded at Shs 50 million non-cash and Shs 100 million non-cash respectively. In addition, the court retained his passport and land title as part of the security.
The prosecution team had urged court to keep him in custody, questioning the capacity of his youthful sureties and citing the existence of several ongoing cases. But the magistrate dismissed those concerns, underlining the principle of presumption of innocence and affirming Balunywa’s established ties to the country.
According to the charge sheets sanctioned by outgoing DPP Jane Frances Abodo, Prof. Balunywa is accused of unlawfully recruiting 103 academic staff, 17 administrative staff, and 69 support staff between 2020 and 2023 without following established institutional procedures.
In a separate indictment, he is alleged to have appointed three unqualified administrative assistants — James Arike, Nathan Nuwagira, and Nimrod Kakayi — creating what prosecutors describe as “unwarranted financial liabilities” for the government.
Balunywa is jointly charged with former Acting Human Resource Director, Jacqueline Namaganda, who faces three counts of neglect of duty for allegedly failing to verify the eligibility of recruits. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.
Prof. Balunywa, one of Uganda’s most influential academic administrators, retired in May 2023 after leading MUBS for 26 years. His tenure was defined by both innovation and controversy. Notably, in 2018, Education Minister Janet Museveni attempted to replace him, only for President Museveni to step in and extend his contract, praising him for his “liberation ideology.”
The matter returns to court on October 15 for mention and pre-trial hearings.
