Uganda’s Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and a group of MPs have been denied access to the Lubowa specialised hospital construction site despite receiving clearance from the Health minister for an oversight visit.
Mr Ssenyonyi, accompanied by members of his shadow cabinet and other opposition legislators, arrived at the International Specialised Hospital of Uganda construction site on Wednesday but found the main gate locked.
The MPs had planned to inspect progress on the long-delayed 264-bed specialised referral, teaching and research hospital.
They had formally notified project contractor Finasi-ISHU Construction SPV Limited of their planned visit before the company’s management sought guidance from the Ministry of Health.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi subsequently directed the contractor to facilitate a guided tour of the facility while ensuring that the MPs complied with health and safety requirements.
But the legislators were not allowed inside when they arrived.
MPs left at locked gate
Mr Ssenyonyi said security personnel could be seen inside the premises making telephone calls as the MPs waited outside.
“We arrived here with colleagues, shadow ministers and as you can see, the gate is locked. We were able to peep through the openings and we saw security officers pacing around on the phone,” he said.
“We thought maybe they would get guidance and clearance to open for us to access the facility, but that has not happened.”
Mr Ssenyonyi said he contacted Dr Baryomunsi and State Minister for Health Charles Ayume after the MPs were denied entry, but they were still not allowed onto the site.
He questioned why legislators could not independently inspect a project that has received substantial public financing.
The contractor had not publicly provided a detailed explanation for denying the MPs access by the time of the initial reports.
Previous attempt also blocked
It is not the first time Mr Ssenyonyi and other MPs have faced difficulties accessing the Lubowa project.
In February 2024, the opposition leader and other legislators were blocked from entering the construction site during another oversight visit.
Mr Ssenyonyi later raised the matter in Parliament, saying legislators had been unable to establish the progress of a project receiving substantial government financing.
Other parliamentary attempts to inspect the project have also encountered access difficulties.
The repeated incidents have become part of a wider dispute over parliamentary scrutiny of the hospital’s construction and the public money committed to it.
Hospital has faced repeated delays
Construction of the International Specialised Hospital of Uganda began in 2019, with the facility originally expected to be completed in 2021.
The deadline has since been revised several times.
The hospital is being developed as a 264-bed specialised facility intended to provide advanced medical services and reduce the number of Ugandans travelling abroad for treatment.
Government financing commitments to the project run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mr Ssenyonyi said about Shs1.5 trillion in public resources had been committed to the project and argued that Parliament should be able to inspect what had been constructed.
“Putting bricks and cement together cannot account for the trillion shillings invested. What is supposed to be here is a fully equipped specialised hospital,” he said.
He said opposition MPs would continue demanding accountability over the project.
Project remains under scrutiny
The Lubowa hospital project has faced scrutiny from Parliament and the Auditor General over its financing, progress and oversight arrangements.
An Auditor General’s report for the financial year ending June 2024 raised concerns about payments and difficulties experienced in independently verifying progress at the site.
The report said Shs286 billion had been paid on the basis of milestone completion certificates that were not adequately supported and relied heavily on reports from the contractor.
Parliamentary committees have previously called for greater scrutiny of the project and questioned continued funding amid delays.
The hospital is intended to offer specialised services including cancer treatment, organ transplantation, cardiac care and advanced diagnostic services.
However, years after construction began, the facility is yet to become operational.
Wednesday’s incident has renewed the dispute over MPs’ ability to independently inspect the project and scrutinise the use of public funds committed to its construction.
