Dr Onzivua pins police on Nebanda

Dr Onzivua

What you need to know:

Reason. Dr Onzivua was testifying in a case where he is seeking millions in compensation for unlawful arrest by the police and malicious prosecution over the late Nebanda’s case.

Kampala. Dr Sylvester Onzivua, a pathologist with Mulago hospital, on Monday told the High Court that rivalry with Dr Moses Byaruhanga, the director of medical services in the Uganda Police Force, led to his criminal prosecution.
Dr Onzivua was testifying in a case where he is seeking millions in compensation for unlawful arrest by the police and malicious prosecution over the late Nebanda’s case.
In his testimony, Dr Onzivua told presiding judge Margaret Oguli Oumo that when the late Butaleja District Woman MP died mysteriously, he was contacted by a team of lawmakers led by the current Junior health minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, to carry out a postmortem independently.
He further told court that upon the team agreeing that he takes along with him one set of Nebanda’s body samples to South Africa, Dr Byaruhanga requested him to also ask the lawmakers to facilitate his journey to London to take the remaining set of samples that were at the government analytical laboratory in Wandegeya, Kampala.
However, Dr Onzivua told court that he turned this request down on grounds that there was no need to fly another set of samples to a foreign country since he was already taking one sample to South Africa.
“On Saturday, December 15, 2012, I received a phone call from Dr Moses Byaruhanga. He asked me if I could talk to Parliament to facilitate his travel to London with another set of samples, which were supposed to be analysed here in Uganda. My lord, I told him that there was no need to take samples to London as I was already going to South Africa with one set,” Dr Onzivua said.
During yesterday’s hearing, Dr Onzivua told court of the negative impact the malicious criminal prosecution has had on his professional career. He said he has spent more than Shs53 million to hire lawyers, which he says he wants the government to pay through compensation.
He also said he lost a fully paid scholarship to study forensics in Australia worth more than 100,000 Australian dollars. He said he could not travel to Australia because his passport was being held by police and he was facing criminal charges.
According to postmortem reports, Nebanda died due to an over dose of narcotic drugs.

The background
In December 2012, shortly after the death of MP Nebanda, Dr Onzivua was intercepted by police at Entebbe International airport while he attempted to take Nebanda’s body samples to South Africa for an independent autopsy. He was further detained at Kireka’s Special Investigations Unit before being arraigned at Buganda Road Court and charged with abuse of office and having unlawfully taken away Nebanda’s body samples without clearance.