The arrested suspects while at Hoima city Central police station. They are accused of stealing government drugs. Photo by Emmanuel Okello.
Five staff members of the National Medical Stores (NMS) and Hoima Regional Referral Hospital (HRRH) are being held at Hoima City Central Police Station over allegations of stealing government drugs.
The suspects have been identified as Habas Kizito, a driver attached to NMS; Bosco Aguerini and Moses Kiiza, also NMS employees; and Ceaser Onegiu and Ayo Justine, both connected to the Hoima Hospital stores department. They were arrested on Friday evening at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital.
According to information obtained by our reporter, NMS had instructed its staff to deliver a consignment of drugs and medical supplies to the hospital on Thursday using a box-body truck registration number UBK 912F.
However, after the offloading process, the hospital management, upon verification, discovered that the delivery did not tally with the accompanying delivery note issued by NMS. A box containing Morphine syrup was found missing.
The hospital immediately initiated an internal investigation before allowing the truck and NMS staff to leave.
The security team, comprising Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel and private guards deployed at the hospital, impounded the truck and conducted a thorough search. During the inspection, a box containing the missing Morphine syrup was recovered from the vehicle, leading to the arrest of the five suspects.
Hoima Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Badru Mugabi confirmed the arrests and detentions, saying detectives from Hoima City Central Police Station had taken over the investigations. He noted that the suspects are likely to face charges of theft of government drugs.
Mugabi commended the hospital management for its vigilance in identifying the anomaly and preventing the drugs from being stolen.
A senior hospital staff member, who preferred anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media, told URN that suspicions arose when the drugs and medical supplies delivered did not match the NMS delivery note. He added that several other hospital employees are now under investigation for alleged involvement in drug theft.
However, in a statement issued on Friday evening, NMS refuted claims that its staff were involved in any wrongdoing. According to Sheila Nduhukire, the NMS Public Relations Officer, the box of Morphine syrup in question was part of the day’s distribution consignment but was an excess unit that was to be returned to the NMS stores, a situation she described as a routine logistical discrepancy.
“National Medical Stores wishes to clarify reports circulating regarding an NMS vehicle impounded in Hoima City on Friday, October 17, 2025, after a box of medicines was found on board. Preliminary findings indicate that the box in question was part of the day’s distribution consignment and was an excess that had to be brought back to NMS.
Such occurrences are normal and often arise from routine logistical discrepancies during offloading and verification processes. We are working closely with security agencies to provide all necessary documentation and to support their ongoing verification,” reads the NMS statement.
This incident follows a series of similar cases at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. In August 2025, a staff member was arrested for allegedly stealing four units of blood from the hospital’s blood bank. Security officers, acting on intelligence, apprehended the suspect before he could sneak the stolen blood out of the facility.
Earlier, in July 2025, the hospital management deployed UPDF officers to man its main gate in an effort to curb rising cases of drug and property theft and to enhance overall security at the health facility.
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