Escapee arrested at Mbarara hospital disguised as homeless man
Mr Ronald Ahurire who allegedly escaped from prison in 2020 and has since been staying at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.PHOTO/ RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
What you need to know:
- The hospital Public Relations Officer, Mr Halson Kagure said Monday that their security team got concerned over common suspicious faces of people who have occasionally been sighted at the facility.
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) is stuck with homeless and abandoned people, something the administrators say compromises the facility’s security.
The hospital Public Relations Officer, Mr Halson Kagure said Monday that their security team got concerned over common suspicious faces of people who have occasionally been sighted at the facility.
“We got suspicious of some of the common people at this facility. Our security team profiled them only to learn that a number of them are homeless after they were abandoned by relatives. They have for a longtime been staying in the hospital premises,” said Mr Kagure.
He said in the last one week, they discovered 16 people stranded, 14 of whom are male.
During interrogations, it was discovered that some of the people, especially those with disabilities, were abandoned by relatives, others are either homeless or ran away from domestic violence.
“We have had a challenge of people who after getting treated are either abandoned here or go home after treatment but choose to return and stay here,” Mr Kagure added.
A prison escapee who had been staying at the facility disguised as a homeless person was arrested last week, according to the hospital publicist.
“During the profiling of the homeless and abandoned people we landed on a criminal who had escaped from Kakiika government Prison in Mbarara City. The suspect came in as a patient but instead chose this (MRRH) to be his home,” explained.
He said the suspect identified as Ronald Ahurire, has since been handed over to prison authorities for further management.
Prison authorities at Kakiika prison said the inmate escaped from prison in 2020 pending his sentence over theft charges.
"The suspect had escaped from prison three years ago but now we have him. He will be produced in court to answer pending charges of theft and also charged afresh for escaping,” Mr Frank Baine, the Prisons Spokesperson said.
Mr Kagure said the other abandoned and homeless people are still at the facility as they wait for relatives to pick them.
