Kiryandongo Hospital Doctor Arrested Over Alleged Shs150,000 Extortion

Police in Kiryandongo District have arrested a doctor at Kiryandongo General Hospital over allegations that he demanded Shs150,000 from a patient who required emergency surgery. The suspect has been identified as Dr. Moses Baluku, 24, an anaesthetic officer at the hospital. He was arrested on Tuesday at about 8 pm on the hospital premises.

Baluku allegedly demanded the money from Winnie Zamukunda, 22, who required emergency surgery after sustaining a tear in her uterus.  Zamukunda’s paternal uncle, Georgina Kabaseke, reportedly raised the money and handed it to Baluku as the patient was being prepared for the procedure.

However, before the operation could be performed, Kabaseke reportedly reported the matter to Kiryandongo Resident District Commissioner Dan Muganga, who directed police to investigate. Kiryandongo District Police Commander Stephen Ojok said officers rushed to the hospital and arrested Baluku, who was subsequently detained at Kiryandongo Central Police Station.

Ojok said detectives recovered the alleged Shs150,000 from the suspect and secured it as an exhibit to support investigations. He added that police had recorded statements from the complainants and other people at the hospital to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Ojok said Baluku would be taken to court on charges of extortion and obtaining money by false pretences once investigations are complete. 

The hospital management had not commented on the allegations by the time of publishing this story. The arrest comes barely a week after Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara directed the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate the hospital’s top management over separate allegations of extortion, the sale of government medicines, abuse of office and corruption.

The allegations emerged during an impromptu visit to the facility by Barugahara on October 6, 2026, when whistleblowers, residents and patients reportedly raised concerns about alleged corruption and poor service delivery. Barugahara said he found patients being charged for services that should be available at a government health facility, including X-ray and scan services.

He also alleged that some hospital staff were demanding between Shs150,000 and Shs300,000 to provide mortuary services for bodies brought to the facility. The minister further claimed that patients who failed to raise the demanded money were sometimes neglected, with some reportedly dying while waiting for treatment, including expectant mothers. 

He directed the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate the complaints and establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged misconduct by hospital staff. The allegations against Baluku and other individuals mentioned in connection with the hospital investigation remain unproven. The suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.