The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has dropped corruption-related charges against former Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Principal, Professor Waswa Balunywa.

The 69-year-old educationist appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on Wednesday, where Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit formally acknowledged the withdrawal of the case.

According to court records, the decision to discontinue proceedings was contained in a withdrawal form dated November 7, 2025, signed by outgoing DPP Jane Frances Abodo. The document was presented in court by Principal Assistant DPP Caroline Nabaasa, who confirmed that the state had decided to halt prosecution.

Professor Balunywa and his co-accused, Acting Human Resource Manager Jacqueline Namaganda, had been facing charges of abuse of office, neglect of duty, and corruption. The allegations stemmed from claims that, between March 18 and March 28, 2023, while serving as MUBS Principal, Balunywa irregularly appointed three individuals James Arike, Nimrod Kakayi, and Nathan Niwagira as administrative assistants without the required academic qualifications.

Prosecutors alleged that the appointments resulted in unnecessary financial obligations to the government.

Before the withdrawal, Prof. Balunywa had spent three days in Luzira Prison after his arrest in September before being released on a cash bail of Shs15 million.

During the same proceedings, the prosecution had also introduced a second case in which Balunywa was accused of irregularly recruiting over 200 staff members between 2020 and 2023 without following due process. The appointments reportedly included 103 academic staff, 17 administrative staff, and 69 support staff —positions that, according to the charge sheet, could only be approved by the MUBS Appointments Committee.

While the DPP indicated that charges in both cases were to be withdrawn, the Nolle Prosequi (withdrawal notice) in the second file contained typing errors, leading the court to adjourn the matter to November 25, 2025, for correction and completion of the discharge process.

For now, Prof. Balunywa stands cleared in one of the two cases.

Balunywa and Namaganda were among thirty individuals under investigation in a wider corruption probe implicating officials from multiple government agencies, including the Uganda Police Force and the Civil Aviation Authority. The inquiry is linked to alleged financial losses estimated at Shs53 billion.

At least fifteen suspects have so far appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court as investigations continue.