Lubowa Hospital on course for completion — Attorney General

KAMPALA - The Attorney General (AG), Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has protested what he has described as investor-confidence-damaging misreporting about the International Specialised Lubowa Hospital, off Entebbe Road. 

Responding to reports in local media, the AG stated: “The Government wishes to address the misleading and sensational report published in the Daily Monitor newspaper of March 18, 2025, under the headline ‘Lubowa: Sh700B Spent, No Hospital and Inside Pinetti’s Bottomless Pit." 

The AG said the newspaper failed to adhere to the basic journalistic tenets and ethics by not seeking the Government’s comment, especially from the health and finance ministries, prior to the publication. 

In the article, it was alleged that payments to the developer of the hospital were based on unsupported milestone completion certificates.

However, in a letter dated April 17, 2025, addressed to the newspaper, the AG said the report was not true because all the executed project works were professionally inspected, measured, certified, and the relevant milestone completion certificates were issued accordingly. 

Kiwanuka said every payment made to the developer of the hospital has always been made in strict compliance with the requirements of project agreements. 

He said payments are only made following performance and completion by the developer of a specific volume of work (milestone), which milestone(s), are as earlier observed, duly certified prior to any payment. 

Kiwanuka said the measurement of milestones is conducted professionally by suitably qualified personnel — by the owner’s engineer, who monitors the work as the technical expert appointed by the Government and works with a team of other multi-skilled professionals from the works and transport ministry. 

Additionally, Kiwanuka said the assertion that there is no definitive completion date for the project is entirely erroneous and at best, the epitome of fake news. The anticipated completion date for the hospital is June 2026.

The hospital project when it was still at the foundation stage.

COVID-19 

The AG said while the project experienced delays due to unforeseen force majeure events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government and the developer have, as a cure, agreed to an accelerated works programme to ensure timely completion. 

He said the rapid progress is evident to all, with the main structure now at the roofing stage, a fact ignored by the newspaper, which instead opted to publish outdated images for over three years ago when the project was still at the foundation stage. 

Furthermore, all auxiliary buildings, including the training of staff to operate the facility, are already underway, including in those facilities. Kiwanuka said the publication has the dangerous, unfortunate effect of deterring investments in Uganda by damaging the country’s reputation, eroding investor confidence, and potentially leading to a loss of capital and reduced economic growth. 

“Falsely painting Uganda in a negative light makes it less attractive to potential investors, who would think investing in the country is risky and unreliable and would thereby be less likely to commit capital, yet in fact the potential returns are high,” he observed.

Kiwanuka said the newspaper should be held to account for undermining the prospects of direct foreign investments in Uganda.

According to the AG, this deliberate distortion of facts was aimed at creating harmful narratives on the project similar to a previous incident where a journalist’s misleading and screaming headline that “Uganda sells Uganda Dairy Corporation for $1”, caused an uncalled for public outcry and discouraged an investor from proceeding with a project that was tailored to commercialise milk production in the Cattle Corridor. 

Kiwanuka said the statements in the article amount to economic sabotage not only intended to damage and disrupt the project, but also the national effort towards strategic investments. 

He said the article also falsely attributed a statement to the health ministry permanent secretary, Diana Atwine, claiming she professed ignorance of the project’s progress yet she directed inquiries regarding payment details to the finance ministry, which, under the project agreements, is responsible for processing payments following receipt of the relevant milestone completion certificate(s). 

This, according to Kiwanuka, is a structural requirement of the project agreements tailored to ensure value for money.

Restriction 

The AG refuted claims that access to the project site has been restricted. Kiwanuka said the Government, as the employer, has had unrestricted access to the site with the owner’s engineers having an office at site and conducting at least weekly site meetings. 

He said the Prime Minister, ministers of health and the permanent secretary; secretary to the Treasury and their technical officials, plus teams from the AG’s chambers have visited and held discussions at the site. 

On December 18, 2024, the Parliament’s committee on national economy visited the site, and so did the committee on health and other several groups on prior occasions. 

Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka

The AG stated that while there have been isolated incidents of delays in access due to no or short-notice impromptu visits, contrary to the project requirements and good industry practice, the developer has since been instructed to and has co-operated in facilitating access to the site for visits properly co-ordinated through the health ministry. 

Kiwanuka said had the reporter requested to visit the hospital site, perhaps a truthful report would have been published. “Unfortunately, armchair journalism seems to have been intentionally preferred,” Kiwanuka said the Government remains committed to delivering the state-of-the-art internationally accredited specialised hospital.

The Government has reassured the public that the project is on course for completion and will deliver value for money as promised. Kiwanuka added that the high degree of deceit, fabrication, fibbing, and falsification involved in the article in question is not just shocking, but alarming.

He said the move behind this tirade of denigrations and outright falsehoods, especially at a time of undeniable project progress is concerning and should be looked into. He said the article is an unfortunate spin that turns to an abhorrent castigation regarding a request for a supplementary budget for the project works.

The AG clarified that the budgeting process is regulated by the Public Finance Management Act.

He said there is no legal or moral impediment to budgeting for the anticipated expenditures towards the project works, especially in the wake of an accelerated works implementation programme.

As earlier observed, Kiwanuka said the developer would only become entitled to payment for the already completed and certified works.

Similarly, the allegation that the project contract was initially between the Government and a certain consortium is strange, given that the company that was initially contracted is still conducting the works and progressing with the project implementation.

The AG has urged the newspaper to seek accurate information from the relevant government ministries or departments, which are readily available in line with the right to access information, rather than resorting to speculation and disinformation.

The Government condemns the spread of such falsehoods and calls for responsible journalism that serves the public interest, he stated. 

The AG has requested the Daily Monitor to publish a clear and unqualified apology and retraction of the publication in question in an equally conspicuous position in the text issue of their paper from the date of receipt of his letter.