Uganda Orders Audit of Flagship Hospital After MPs Are Barred From Site
Uganda · HEALTH AND PUBLIC FINANCE
Key Facts
- —The country Uganda is a landlocked East African state of about 51 million people. Its economy, about US$62 billion in 2025, is under one-fiftieth of Britain’s.
- —Why it matters Ugandans who need cancer, heart or transplant care often travel abroad. The Lubowa hospital, near Kampala, was meant to end that and is backed by state guarantees.
- —Why now Opposition MPs were locked out of the site on 16 September. They say no audit has examined the project since 2022.
- —What happened On 30 September 2026, Speaker Jacob Oboth directed the Auditor General, Uganda’s state auditor, to audit the 264-bed hospital.
- —The numbers Opposition leader Joel Ssenyonyi says the state has put in about Sh1.5 trillion (about US$385 million). Parliament approved about US$379.7 million in guarantees and financing.
- —What it means for you Foreign residents still cannot count on world-class specialist care in Uganda. Investors in its public-private partnerships face rising political and oversight scrutiny.
- —Still open No audit timetable has been set. Official completion dates vary between December 2026 and December 2027.
Uganda’s Parliament has ordered a Lubowa hospital audit after opposition MPs were locked out. The flagship specialist hospital is five years late.
Uganda’s Parliament has ordered a Lubowa hospital audit of a long-delayed flagship health project. On 30 September 2026, Speaker Jacob Oboth told the Auditor General, the state’s independent auditor, to examine the unfinished hospital.
Uganda is an East African country of about 51 million people with a US$62 billion economy, World Bank data show. Its International Specialised Hospital, named Lubowa after its site near Kampala, was meant to treat cancer and heart cases at home.
Why the audit matters now
The order followed a request by Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. He told the chamber the project was last audited in 2022, yet still receives public money every year.
Ssenyonyi said the government has put about Sh1.5 trillion (about US$385 million) into the 264-bed hospital. That figure is his estimate and has not been confirmed by the Finance ministry.
Amounts in this article are converted at 3,897 Uganda shillings per US dollar, the open.er-api.com rate on 1 October 2026.
Oboth backed the request in strong terms. “Accountability must be upheld,” he said, adding that even the president’s office is audited.
He warned against deals with investors that put their work beyond scrutiny. “This is serious,” he said, according to the Daily Monitor.
Locked out of a publicly funded site
On 16 September, Ssenyonyi and members of the shadow cabinet arrived for a site visit at 10am. The gate stayed locked, according to The Observer, a Kampala weekly.
Health minister Chris Baryomunsi had approved the visit in writing on 10 September. He told Parliament he was shocked by the refusal and that no MP should be denied access.
A health ministry spokesman blamed the incident on a delay in passing on the minister’s clearance. Baryomunsi said he had since learned the contract contains strict rules on site access.
It was not the first time. Lawmakers were also turned away in February 2024, and a planned visit by Parliament’s public accounts committee was postponed that year.
Oboth asked the project managers to let the opposition team in. Otherwise, he said, he would lead a parliamentary delegation to the site himself.
The money behind the hospital
The hospital is a public-private partnership between an Italian-led consortium, Finasi, and ROKO Construction, a Ugandan builder. Building work began in 2019, with completion first due in June 2021.
Parliament approved government guarantees and financing of about US$379.7 million at the time. Much of the money has been paid through promissory notes, which are government IOUs settled later.
That structure leaves Ugandan taxpayers carrying the risk. It also makes spending harder for Parliament to track year by year.
For the year to June 2024, the Auditor General said Sh286 billion (about US$73 million) was paid on weak milestone certificates. These certificates largely relied on the contractor’s own progress reports, The Observer reported.
The same report noted that Parliament had recommended halting funding, but the Finance ministry kept paying. Government engineers had at one stage certified only 23 percent of the works.
What the government says
Jane Ruth Aceng, the government chief whip and a former health minister, accepted there had been delays. She told Parliament the hospital is now nearly 70 percent complete.
Aceng said specialists are being trained and equipment is being bought. She added that oversight of the project has moved from the health ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister.
A health ministry spokesman told the Daily Monitor that builders are now on finishing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. The paper lists December 2026 as the latest target date.
The Observer, however, reported that the June 2026 budget speech put progress at 75 percent and moved completion to December 2027. Ssenyonyi says the deadline has shifted about seven times.
MPs also approved Sh100 billion (about US$26 million) in this year’s budget to prepare the hospital for operation. The opposition voted against that allocation.
What the audit means for foreigners
For foreign residents, the delay means advanced treatment in Uganda often still means travelling abroad. Insurance with medical evacuation cover remains essential.
For investors, the audit is a warning about public-private partnerships in the region. State guarantees do not guarantee delivery, and political scrutiny can arrive years later.
Uganda’s Parliament has the power to monitor public spending under Articles 90 and 164 of the constitution. A contract that limits site access sits uneasily with that role.
What to watch next
The Auditor General has not published a timetable for the new review. A full special audit of a project of this size could take months.
The first test is whether opposition MPs are now allowed onto the site. The second is whether the audit’s findings arrive before the next budget round.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Uganda’s Parliament order a Lubowa hospital audit?
Opposition leader Joel Ssenyonyi said the project had not been audited since 2022, and MPs were refused entry on 16 September. Speaker Jacob Oboth ordered the audit on 30 September 2026.
How much public money has gone into the Lubowa hospital?
Ssenyonyi says about Sh1.5 trillion (about US$385 million). Parliament earlier approved government guarantees and financing of about US$379.7 million for the project.
When will the Lubowa hospital open?
There is no firm date. The health ministry says the building is about 70 percent complete; official targets range from December 2026 to December 2027.
Connected Coverage
Sources
- Daily Monitor: Parliament orders audit of delayed Lubowa hospital project (30 Sep 2026)
- Daily Monitor: Opposition MPs call for audit of Lubowa hospital project (29 Sep 2026)
- The Observer: MPs again denied access to Lubowa hospital site (16 Sep 2026)
- World Bank: Uganda GDP and population data
- open.er-api.com: US dollar exchange rates
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