Former Mulago Hospital Boss Dr Byarugaba Remanded Over Corruption.

Kampala: The Anti Corruption Court in Kampala has remanded the former Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital  Dr. Byarugaba Baterana Bonaventura  to Luzira prison on charges of abuse of office. He and six others are accused causing government a 6.3 billion shillings loss  in irregular  and double payments.

They were  on Wednesday June 19, 2024 arraigned before the Court presided over by the Acting Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate, Abert Asiimwe. They were slapped with 19 charges. Although 10 people were expected to appear before the court, only seven did.

The others who were remanded include the former Head of the Engineering Department at the hospital, Edward Kataha, the former Senior Mulago Hospital  Administrator Kenneth Wafula, and Senior Procurement officers Christopher Okware and Adah Kamucunguzi.

Also charged are the the Directors and shareholders of Setramaco  International Limited, Robert Wasike and Catherine Winfred Nabwire who allegedly used their  company to invoice Mulago National Referral  Hospital for double payments of non-existent equipments and other non-executed works.

Those who did not not appeare before the Magistrate are Assistant Engineer Perezi Baganda, the former Assistant Commissioner Accounts/Head Accounts section, Ponziano Nyeko and the the former Senior Accountant, Charles Mwasa.

It is alleged that during the years 2019 and 2020, while at Mulago National Referral Hospital Dr Baterana, Nyeko and Mwasa being authorized users of the integrated Financial Management System, in abuse of the authority of their respective offices flouted payment procedures , when they irregularly processed payment of 3.6 billion Shillings to Setramaco International Limited.

The money was purportedly meant to pay for the supply of consumables used in routine servicing and repair of large size sterilization equipment of an alleged capacity of 1,500 litres, which never existed at the said hospital.

According to the charges sanctioned by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo, that was an act prejudicial to the interests of their employer: Mulago National Referral Hospital and the government of Uganda.