Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi has called for greater accountability in the use of public funds, after he and other opposition MPs were denied access to the Lubowa International Specialised Hospital construction site during an oversight visit.
Ssenyonyi said the government’s anti-corruption efforts should extend beyond cases involving relatively small sums of money to projects involving large public expenditures.
“If Government is serious about the fight against corruption, as we hear them say, they shouldn’t only go for those misappropriating small amounts. We want to see them also go after those who are failing to account for trillions of shillings,” Ssenyonyi said.
Ssenyonyi and members of the Shadow Cabinet had gone to the facility on Wednesday, September 16, for a scheduled oversight visit but were unable to enter despite prior communication with the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry, in correspondence to the project management, directed Charles Byaruhanga, the Group Chief Operating Officer of Finasi-ISHU Lubowa Specialised Hospital, to facilitate the MPs’ guided tour at 10:00am on September 16, while observing health and safety requirements.
However, when the legislators arrived, they found the main gate locked and were unable to gain entry. Reports indicate that they waited at the site and made several attempts to contact officials over the matter, but the visit did not proceed.
Ssenyonyi questioned how Parliament could effectively exercise its oversight mandate over a major public project if legislators were repeatedly denied access to inspect the facility.
He said about Shs1.5 trillion in public money had so far been committed to the project, and demanded greater accountability for the expenditure.
“Shs1.5 trillion of taxpayers’ money has so far been injected into this project, but there’s no accountability for all this money,” Ssenyonyi said.
The opposition leader said Parliament had encountered similar difficulties accessing the project in the past, including an incident in 2024 when legislators were also blocked from entering the site despite clearance from the then Minister of Health, Jane Ruth Aceng.
The latest incident has renewed questions over Parliament’s access to major government projects for purposes of physical inspection and oversight.
Wakiso District Woman MP Betty Ethel Naluyima said denying legislators access to government projects undermined Parliament’s constitutional responsibility to monitor the use of public resources.
The International Specialised Hospital of Uganda at Lubowa is a planned 264-bed specialised referral, teaching and research facility.
The project has experienced several delays since construction began, with its original completion deadline repeatedly revised.
Recent government budget information indicates that the project had reached 75 percent completion and was expected to be completed by December 2027.
The hospital is intended to provide specialised services, including cancer treatment, organ transplantation and advanced cardiac and other medical procedures.
Ssenyonyi has continued to question the pace of construction and the expenditure associated with the project, saying Parliament should be able to independently assess the progress of work and the utilisation of public funds.
The latest denial of access is expected to bring renewed parliamentary attention to the project’s expenditure, construction delays and the arrangements governing legislative oversight of the facility.
