Two foreign investors have taken over the Uganda-Iran Hospital in Naguru, Kampala yet the facility was acquired under a partnership between Kampala and Tehran.
It has now emerged that Uganda Police Force (UPF), a major partner in the deal, later learnt that two investors had taken over and were now the owners of the hospital, kicking Government of Uganda out.
Parliament has learnt that two investors – Shahram Pourjahani with 98 shares, and Karimi Afi, with two shares – fraudulently registered the hospital in their names, throwing UPF out.
This was contained in a report on the management and utilization of Uganda Police Force (UPF) land in selected areas in Kampala as presented by the Chairperson of the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, Wilson Kajwengye (Nyabushozi, NRM), to Parliament on October 31.
During their oversight visit, the Committee on Defence also established that Police land in Naguru was occupied by other entities such as United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI), Ugandan Iranian Health Centre, Oscar Industries Ltd, YUASA Investments Ltd, Future Group Co. Ltd, Justice, Law and Order Sector, and the East African Community Monetary Institute.
According to the Committee, while government offered UNAFRI 16.8 acres of Police land on the understanding that the institute would develop the land, the institute reportedly breached the lease terms by failing to utilize the land, and instead sub-leased it to third parties.
The Committee has recommended that the DPP investigates individuals who were involved in the fraudulent change of ownership of the Iran-Uganda Hospital in Naguru to a private limited company yet it was constructed based on the Public-Private Partnership.
Police are now said to be mulling over the option of withdrawing their ambulance, fuel and payment of utilities for hospital.
This is not the first time foreign investors are being embroiled in controversy. Months ago, a Museveni minister survived being killed by locals for defending an Indian investor accused of throwing Ugandans off their land. The other controversies relate to land giveaways to investors. (See Details Here and There).
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