Pressure is mounting on the judiciary following claims that detained city lawyer Erias Lukwago is being denied urgent medical care, with a medical practitioner warning that continued detention could prove fatal.
In a social media statement on Tuesday, Dr Nalukwago accused authorities of allowing Lukwago’s health to deteriorate, drawing parallels with the late legislator Muhammad Ssegirinya, whose prolonged illness while in custody raised national concern.
“They want Lukwago to waste away and die like what happened to Ssegirinya,” she said, questioning the handling of the case and delays in resolving his bail application.
The remarks came hours after Lukwago made an emotional court appearance, where he described his condition as a “death sentence” and pleaded for temporary release to access specialised treatment recommended by doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Dr Nalukwago also criticised delays in the criminal justice process, arguing that repeated adjournments under the pretext of ongoing investigations were prolonging suffering.
“Meanwhile this case is always going to be adjourned for years citing they are still collecting evidence. Why do we make Ugandans suffer in their country?” she asked.
According to the doctor, medical professionals have already issued clear guidance on Lukwago’s condition, raising concern over whether the court will prioritise those recommendations.
“And the magistrate will look at this sickly man and send him back to prison despite advice from medics from a government hospital that they trust,” she said. “You people are not humans.”
The case has reignited debate over the treatment of detainees with serious health conditions, with civil society groups pointing to constitutional protections on access to healthcare and humane detention.