Construction of the long-overdue Lubowa International Specialized Hospital has commenced following pressure from the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi.

According to the speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among, Ssenyonyi has done a great job to ensure that the Lubowa hospital construction project, marked by delays and controversies, is scrutinized.

“I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, for one thing: as I speak, construction has commenced in Lubowa, and this is all courtesy of the Leader of the Opposition,” Speaker Among lauded during the Plenary session.

This follows the speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among, questioning the government about why LoP Ssenyonyi and members of the Shadow Cabinet were blocked from accessing the hospital construction site, yet they had a permission letter from the Ministry of Health.

Lubowa International Specialized Hospital which has been under construction since 2019, has faced hurdles, including the government being asked by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee in January to halt the Ugx1.44 trillion project, saying it has led to an increase in public debt that had hit Ugx97 trillion.

On April 27, 2021, the Minister of Health, Jane Ruth Aceng, announced the completion date for the 264-bed Lubowa Specialized Hospital to be September 2022. Lubowa International Specialized Hospital has been slowed down by a combination of factors ever since the site was handed over to the developers on June 10, 2019.