The Executive Director of the State House Health Monitoring Unit (SHMU), Dr Warren Naamara, has reaffirmed the unit's commitment to eliminating the theft of government medicines in public health facilities following the conviction of a former health worker in Kamwenge District over the theft of drugs worth hundreds of millions of shillings.
The renewed commitment comes days after the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala, presided over by Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, convicted Alison Muhwezi, a former Assistant Inventory Officer in charge of the drug store at Rukunyu General Hospital, over the theft of government medicines valued at approximately Shs300 million.
Dr Naamara said the conviction sends a strong warning to public servants involved in stealing or failing to account for government medical supplies, stressing that SHMU will continue pursuing offenders to protect healthcare delivery across the country.
"We remain fully committed to fighting the theft of government medicines because it directly affects service delivery and denies patients access to essential treatment," Dr Naamara told Nile Post on Thursday.
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He added that the conviction should serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar offences.
"This conviction should be a lesson to anyone stealing government drugs. Government does not tolerate corruption in the health sector. We shall continue hunting down those involved, have them arrested, arraigned before court, and ensure they are held accountable," he said.
Court records indicate that the case originated from a monitoring exercise conducted in 2019 by police detectives attached to SHMU at Rukunyu Health Centre IV, which has since been upgraded to Rukunyu General Hospital.
During a medicines audit, investigators discovered that government medical supplies worth Shs300 million were missing from the facility's drug store.
The findings prompted the opening of a criminal investigation under reference Kamwenge GEF 541/2020, with Muhwezi identified as the principal suspect in the alleged theft.
According to court proceedings, Muhwezi entered into a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution and refunded an initial Shs20 million towards an agreed compensation amount of Shs150 million.
After considering the agreement, Justice Kajuga convicted Muhwezi in accordance with the terms of the plea bargain.
Under the court order, Muhwezi is required to refund the remaining Shs130 million within two years, bringing the total compensation to Shs150 million.
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In addition to the financial restitution, the court barred Muhwezi from holding any public office for 10 years in accordance with provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act.
SHMU said it will continue conducting inspections, audits and investigations in health facilities across the country to ensure government medicines and medical supplies reach their intended beneficiaries.
