Uganda’s parliament has passed the Civil Aviation Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that will bring the country’s aviation authority in conformity with the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
- •This follows the approval of eight amendments under the proposed Bill.
- •The Bill was passed on Thursday, 01 February 2024.
- •The new law will give powers to a chief investigator to investigate aircraft accidents and incidents involving aircrafts.
“The chief investigator must be a highly qualified person who has been in the airline industry for a long time and we normally screen them and look at their CVs. It may a retired pilot or an engineer,” said Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister for Works and Transport.
He added that this is intended for compliance with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices relating to aviation security.
The law prohibits the chief investigator from disclosing any investigation records like cockpit records, recordings and transcripts of recordings from air traffic control units, while carrying out an investigation.
“Government has a duty to keep releasing some information periodically that has some form of evidence. I see a contradiction with this statement that denies the chief investigator an opportunity to release credible information to the public,” MP Timothy Batuwa said.
The new law will enable the CAA to recognise agreements of third party states.
