By George Aine
The NRM vice chairperson for eastern Uganda, Capt Mike Mukula, has announced that he has relocated his aviation training school to Kenya, claiming that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has for the last three years refused to grant him an operational license.
Capt Mukula, who is a trained pilot, runs Uganda Aviation School, which was accredited by the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) about three years.
However, he says that for the last three years, CAA has refused to grant him an Air Operators Certificate (AOC).
An AOC is an approval granted by the aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes.
Must read: Rwanda’s Ampersand unveils electric bodas to reduce transport costs
This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public.
“I have finally taken a decision to relocate all our aircraft to Kenya having been frustrated by @UgandaCAA to obtain an AOC. Kenya issued it in one week. This equipment has been on the ground for over three years fully maintained and paying parking fees,” Capt Mukula wrote on Twitter.
I have finally taken a decision to relocate all our aircrafts to KENYA ?? having been frustrated by @UgandaCAA to obtain an AOC #kenya issued it in one week >> this equipment has been on the ground for over 3 years *fully maintained and paying parking fees #systemsfailure
— Mukula (@Mukulaa) October 3, 2018
In a follow-up telephone interview later on Wednesday morning, he confirmed that it took him a month to get all the paperwork for the Kenya AOC license, and only a week for it to be processed and cleared.
“We will now be taking our students to Kenya because the environment there is better. You ask yourself, why did it take the Kenyans just one week to clear us? They have the same standards (as CAA), they are all regulated by ICAO,” he said.
Capt Mukula also accused CAA of frustrating his plan of building the largest aviation training center in East Africa.
This, he said, has forced many Ugandan aviation students to move to South Africa and the United States.
He warns that if the red tape is not addressed, it will be a major threat for the Uganda Airlines which is being revamped.
However, Samuel Muneeza, the CAA director for Safety, Security and Economic Regulations, insisted that Mukula’s school has failed to honor set agreements and regulations.
“CAA granted UAS a provisional license in June 2014, advising UAS to go into agreement with the East Africa Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA), but the company failed to provide that agreement and therefore could not utilize the license [to train cabin crew],” Muneeza said.
Related:
8 unbreakable years of building tech hubs in Uganda: Founders talk future plans
Exclusive: Uganda’s 2ambale set for Kigali expansion
