Mulago hospital clears ailing MP Betty Nambooze to fly out for further treatment

Former president candidate Dr Kizza Besigye and Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago visits ailing Mukono Municiaplaity MP Betty Nambooze on June 25, 2018. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA

What you need to know:

  • Ms Nambooze who has been under police guard at Kiruddu hospital in Kampala, an affiliate of Mulago National Referral Hospital, since she fell ill while in detention at Nagalama police station, had requested to be allowed to seek further medical attention as her health deteriorates.
  • Police had reportedly turned down requests from Nambooze seeking to be transferred to India for medical treatment.

Mulago hospital has cleared bedridden Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze to travel abroad for further treatment.
The hospital executive director, Dr Byarugaba Baterana says the MP needs to travel for further medical check up as soon as possible.

“She’s sick and needs to go abroad for further checkups with her doctors who did the operations. We have worked together with a team of six doctors and we have given information to our hounurable minister to report to the line ministry. Our hounorable minster has also reported to the relevant authorities including Parliament. She needs to travel as soon as Heaven allows. I have also informed our colleagues in Kiruddu to give her a referral note. Let her cross check with Parliament,” Dr Byarugaba said in an interview with NTV.

READ:

Three arrested at Parliament over ailing MP Betty Nambooze’s petition

In their petition, they claim Ms Nambooze’s right to speedy and fair hearing before a competent court of law has been infringed on


Ms Nambooze who has been under police guard at Kiruddu hospital in Kampala, an affiliate of Mulago National Referral Hospital, since she fell ill while in detention at Nagalama police station, had requested to be allowed to seek further medical attention as her health deteriorates.
The clearance comes just hours after three people were arrested at Parliament in Kampala as they tried to petition Speaker Rebecca Kadaga against what they described as the continued detention of the bedridden MP.

Habib Buwembo, Juma Lubega Kabotongo and Yasin Galiwango were arrested on Monday morning and are currently held at Central Police Station Kampala.
In their petition, they claim Ms Nambooze’s right to speedy and fair hearing before a competent court of law has been infringed on. They also claimed her right to human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment as well as her right to equal opportunities and enhancement of women had not been respected.

“The honorable Nambooze’s life is in danger and she is likely to suffer death because she has not been produced to any court of law and the state seems not bothered about the state of affairs of her life and at the same time she is suffering from all sorts of inhuman cruel and degrading treatment. We therefore, call upon the Speaker of Parliament to direct whichever office is concerned to set free Hounourable Betty Nambooze,” read part of their petition.

Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) at the weekends directed police to free Ms Nambooze.
A letter authored by UHRC boss, Mr Medi Kaggwa, to IGP, Martin Okoth Ochola, was triggered by a petition by Ms Nambooze’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago, for the rights body to intervene in the matter.
In his letter, Mr Kaggwa raises concerns that if anything happens to Ms Nambooze as a result of the delay in her medical treatment, it would raise legitimate questions as to how she was treated while in police custody.

“…the commission therefore requests for your urgent intervention to ensure that MP Nambooze’s rights are respected and that she is released so that she can ... travel to receive treatment,” the letter also copied to Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga reads in part.
Ms Nambooze’s ward is still heavily guarded by security personnel, something she says is uncalled for.

Nambooze was admitted to Kiruddu Hospital from Naggalama police station in Mukono, where she had been detained in connection to alleged offensive communication following her social media post after the gruesome murder of Arua Municipality MP, Ibrahim Abiriga and his brother Saidi Buga.
Police had reportedly turned down requests from Nambooze seeking to be transferred to India for medical treatment.