Three Tororo Hospital Officials Arrested Over Patient Extortion

Three officials from Tororo General Hospital have been arrested by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) following a monitoring exercise that uncovered alleged patient extortion, misconduct, and broader accountability concerns in district service delivery.

Three officials from Tororo General Hospital have been arrested by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) over allegations of patient extortion and misconduct uncovered during a monitoring visit in Tororo District.

The suspects have been identified as Senior Hospital Administrator Proscovia Awino, Hospital Administrator Livingston Okape, and mortuary attendant Moses Owino.

According to the IGG, Awino and Okape were arrested after patients reported being charged between sh400,000 and sh500,000 before accessing medical services.

In a separate allegation, Owino was found performing duties beyond his mandate, including handling bodies in ways not authorised under his official role.

The arrests followed a wider inspection exercise led by Inspector General of Government Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, who had earlier engaged district leaders before the team began probing allegations of corruption and service delivery failures.

“There are many allegations of job selling here, and serious integrity issues in the district. We want to understand what is actually going on in Tororo,” Batala said.

During the visit, Savio Kakooza Ntensibe, Director of Ombudsman Affairs at the IGG, also raised concerns about recruitment practices in the district, questioning inconsistencies flagged in the District Accounts Committee report.

“The report reveals a lot about this district. Why are people who were not even shortlisted being interviewed and eventually given jobs?” he asked.

In response, some district officials reportedly acknowledged irregularities in recruitment processes, admitting that the District Service Commission had not performed to expected standards.

The IGG team later proceeded to Tororo Municipal Council, where concerns were raised over the utilisation of road funds. Despite significant government investment, several roads were reportedly in poor condition, prompting a field inspection.

Officials also visited Nyangole Bridge, which was found to be on the verge of collapse just five years after construction, raising further questions about the quality and oversight of public infrastructure projects in the district.

The inspection continued at Tororo General Hospital, where investigators uncovered additional anomalies, including alleged patient extortion. It was at this point that the three officials were arrested on the spot.

The ongoing IGG monitoring exercise, aimed at strengthening accountability and improving public service delivery, is expected to continue in the Elgon sub-region, where similar assessments will be conducted.