A Kampala clothing seller was arrested with stolen government medicines worth 500 million shillings. The medicines were taken from public hospitals. Police and a health monitoring team from State House raided her shop in a downtown Kampala building.
The health team leader, Dr. Warren Naamara, said the medicines were stolen from government health centers. The woman told police the drugs belonged to a man named Robert Waiswa, who stored them in her shop. Waiswa has been arrested before for keeping stolen government drugs in a shop in Wakiso. He is now out on bail but will face new charges in court on February 5.
Some of the stolen medicines had expired, and their expiry dates were changed, which could harm people’s health. Dr. Naamara warned the public to be careful when buying medicines, especially from private clinics. He said stolen drugs are labeled “NOT FOR SALE” and are meant for public hospitals. When they are stolen, patients in government hospitals suffer because they cannot get the medicines they need.
He also said the stolen drugs are often sold illegally to countries like Congo, South Sudan, and Tanzania. Police are still working to find everyone involved in the thefts and stop more harm to public health.