State House Finally Opens Up on Arrest of Mulago Boss; Reveals Charges against Dr Baterana Byarugaba

State House’s Health Monitoring Unit has broken silence on the arrest of Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the executive director of the Mulago National Referral Hospital. 

On March 01, the health monitoring unit arrested Dr Byarugaba. (Read Story Here).

Now, Dr Warren Namara, the director of the unit, has confirmed that Dr Byarugaba has been detained over the executive director’s failure to account for Shs28.8bn.

Dr Namara told reporters in Kampala on March 02 that the unit had responded to complaints by whistleblowers to probe issues of irregular procurements, and financial mismanagement.

That the unit interviewed up to 65 staff, both retired and currently serving, all of whom pointed to almost Shs974m in financial loss or unaccounted funds  between July 2019 and December 2021.

Dr Namara also revealed that Dr Byarugaba failed to notify the Accountant General about missing vouchers amounting to shs5.27 billion.

The health monitoring unit boss also claimed that Dr Byarugaba had caused government a Shs20bn financial loss in dubious and fictitious payments.

The financial loss arising from fictitious payments related to contracts awarded to MS Setramaco International Limited and MS Convention World Limited in November 2016 for the running of laundry machines, central sterile supply department and steam boilers, among other services.

Namara went on to say that the probe unearthed forged job cards, worked completion certificates and duplicated activities.

He also alleged that there were irregularities in the procurement of medicines and other supplies.

According to Dr Namara, the unit’s investigators attempted to verify supplies allegedly procured from First Pharmacy by Mulago Hospital.

That according to the IFMS payment statements obtained from the Accountant General, Mulago had paid First Pharmacy Shs1.4 billion for medicines procured and supplied under emergency orders presumably after running out of National Medical Stores supplied stock.

Investigators unearthed irregularities in this procurement.