The former Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Prof. Waswa Balunywa, has been arrested and arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala over allegations of abuse of office and causing financial loss to government.
Prof. Balunywa, who led MUBS for more than two decades before his retirement last year, was picked up by operatives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Uganda Police Criminal Investigations Directorate.
According to prosecution, during his tenure as Principal, Prof. Balunywa is accused of irregularly authorizing expenditures, flouting procurement procedures, and failing to account for funds allocated to the institution, actions that allegedly caused government losses running into billions of shillings.
He appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo where charges of abuse of office, corruption, and diversion of public funds were read to him. The senior academic, however, denied all the allegations.
Prosecution asked court to remand him pending further investigations, while defense lawyers applied for bail citing his advanced age, health condition, and his long-standing service to the country. The court is expected to make a ruling on the bail application later this week.
Outside the court, a section of his supporters and former students expressed shock at the arrest, describing Prof. Balunywa as a reformist who transformed MUBS into a leading business training institution in the region.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit has in recent months intensified operations against high-profile figures accused of mismanagement and abuse of public resources, with Prof. Balunywa becoming the latest senior official to face charges.
