Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Main Gate.
An employee of the USAID Uganda Health Activity (USAID-UHA) has allegedly confessed to stealing and selling a vehicle belonging to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital for 45 million shillings.
The suspect, a 40-year-old male Ugandan, was arrested over the weekend in Gulu City after he reportedly returned from Karenga District. Highly placed sources within the hospital told our reporter on Thursday that the suspect admitted to stealing the Toyota Prado hard body registration number UBE 639F on February 10, 2026 valued at about 150 million shillings.
According to hospital officials, CCTV footage captured at about 8:20 p.m. on February 10 shows a man wearing a cap and black jacket before entering the vehicle in the hospital parking yard. He was reportedly seen tampering with the vehicle’s wiring system.
Officials further revealed that the vehicle’s GPS tracking system had been disconnected earlier that same day, raising suspicions of a premeditated operation.
The vehicle’s disappearance was only discovered on February 12 after the driver assigned to it returned from Kampala and found it missing from the parking yard.
A confidential whistle blower within the hospital has provided details suggesting the vehicle was sold in Turkana, Kenya, for 45 million shillings shortly after it was stolen on February 10 2026.
This was revealed at an emergency meeting held on Tuesday where the suspect was returned at the crime scene and allegedly confessed to the crime during a board room meeting held with police detectives, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital management and security personnel from USAID-UHA.
According to the source, the suspect allegedly received 300,000 shillings for fuel and filled the vehicle at a petrol station in Unyama trading Centre in Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu City before driving through Kitgum District to Karenga District.
The source claims the suspect arrived in Karenga at around 4:00 a.m. on February 11, where a buyer and coordinators were reportedly waiting. He allegedly handed over the vehicle after which the buyer drove it into Kenya.
It is further alleged that the suspect received an advance of 7 million shillings, with the balance paid upon delivery. The whistle blower claims that out of the money received, the suspect sent Ugx 6million to his wife to boost her business in Moroto and Ugx 3 million to pay for his children’s school fees.
The source also alleges that the thief had access to a spare key obtained from the USAID office, despite officials indicating that only one official key had initially been issued for the vehicle.
Sources further claim that Apie had applied for administrative leave on February 10 the same day the vehicle was stolen and was officially considered to be on leave at the time.
David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa West Region Police Spokesperson confirmed the arrest of the suspect in an interview with our reporter on Thursday adding that he is being detained at Gulu Central Police Station.
Mudong noted that the suspect is undergoing interrogation to ascertain the nature of his suspected crime.
“The key suspect who allegedly stole and sold the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital Land Cruiser Motor vehicle has been arrested and currently detained at Gulu Central Police Station as investigation progresses,” said Mudong.
Mudong noted that once investigation into the matter has been concluded by the police detectives, the suspect’s file shall be forwarded to the Resident State Attorney for perusal before he is taken to court.
By press time, police detective accompanied by Gulu Regional Referral hospital and USAID-UHA staff had traveled to Moroto city to track the missing vehicle.
Investigators are now probing how the GPS tracker was removed and whether there were accomplices within the hospital or outside the district, particularly in Karenga and Moroto.
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