A Monument of Despair”: Justice Mulyagonja’s Tragedy Exposes the Rot at Mulago National Referral Hospital
Standing before mourners and a nation in shock, the former Inspector General of Government (IGG) and current Justice of Uganda’s Court of Appeal, did not mince her words. She called Uganda’s flagship public health institution—Mulago National Referral Specialised Hospital—nothing but a "monument." In a nation where public hospitals are designed to be sanctuaries of healing, Mulago stands as a tragic emblem of systemic neglect.
Uganda Today Edition: A Monument of Despair”: Justice Mulyagonja’s Tragedy Exposes the Rot at Mulago National Referral Hospital
By Uganda Today Investigative Desk
[Published on www.ugandatoday.co.ug]
In a stirring, grief-choked eulogy that has sent ripples across Uganda’s legal and political landscape, Lady Justice Irene Mulyagonja laid bare the haunting failures of the country’s public healthcare system—failures that cost her beloved husband, Advocate John Baptist Kakooza, his life.
Standing before mourners and a nation in shock, the former Inspector General of Government (IGG) and current Justice of Uganda’s Court of Appeal, did not mince her words. She called Uganda’s flagship public health institution—Mulago National Referral Specialised Hospital—nothing but a “monument.” In a nation where public hospitals are designed to be sanctuaries of healing, Mulago stands as a tragic emblem of systemic neglect.
A Widow’s Anguish in the Shadow of a Crumbling System
Justice Mulyagonja described a nightmarish ordeal: a frantic “hospital tourism” mission, shuttling from one medical facility to another, in desperate search for quality care that could preserve her husband’s life. Despite her high-ranking status, networks, and knowledge of the system, she found herself helpless, caught in the same chaotic maze that ordinary Ugandans traverse every day—where oxygen can be unavailable, doctors absent, and machines defunct.
“I moved my husband from hospital to hospital like a market commodity,” she lamented, her voice trembling with pain. “We ended up at Mulago, not because we wanted to, but because all other options were exhausted.”
That she, a senior judicial officer with access to the highest echelons of power, could face such a fate underscores a bleak truth: in Uganda, no one is truly safe from the failures of the state—unless they can afford to fly abroad for treatment.
The Life and Legacy of John Baptist Kakooza
The late JB Kakooza was no ordinary man. A seasoned advocate of the High Court, he was admired for his legal mind, humility, and ethical grounding. He served Uganda’s legal fraternity with integrity and dedication, mentoring a generation of younger lawyers.
His industrious career spanned decades of private legal practice and public service. Kakooza represented clients with quiet brilliance and remained committed to justice even when it meant personal sacrifice. His death, from a treatable illness complicated by a broken health system, is not just a personal loss to his family but a national disgrace.
Bobi Wine: “Mulago is a Monument”
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, was among the first political leaders to react to Mulyagonja’s bold testimony. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
BOBI WINE | @HEBobiwine
“Here is Justice Irene Mulyagonja of the Constitutional Court and former IGG speaking about the terrible experience they went through with our failed healthcare system, trying to treat her now deceased husband and distinguished advocate, John Baptist Kakooza. She bluntly called Mulago Hospital what it is – a monument!!!
When you see a judge of the second highest Court in Uganda complaining about very expensive healthcare, and dilapidated hospitals, then you can imagine what ordinary Ugandans go through daily.
But Museveni is not concerned about this. The money (our money) which he recently distributed to those selfish and greedy MPs to pass that repressive UPDF Amendment is enough to ensure that Mulago has enough essential supplies for a long time, but all the regime cares about now is how it stays in power through repression 😡😡😡
Until we collectively say ENOUGH!”
Kyagulanyi’s words strike a chord with millions of Ugandans who face the terrifying choice every day—pay exorbitant sums at private hospitals or die in neglected public ones.
Justice Mulyagonja: The Irony of Power without Protection
Irene Mulyagonja’s rise through Uganda’s justice system is one of resilience, merit, and principle. A former High Court judge and respected legal academic, she was appointed as Inspector General of Government in 2012, where she championed anti-corruption investigations amid great political pushback. Her transition to the Court of Appeal was seen as both a reward for loyalty and recognition of her jurisprudential sharpness.
Yet, her recent experience has pulled the curtain on the futility of titles when public services are hollowed out. Her revelation that her family was ultimately forced to rely on Mulago Hospital—a facility she likened to a relic rather than a functioning hospital—cuts through the excuses government officials often give.
A National Shame, a Collective Wake-Up Call
What Justice Mulyagonja experienced is not rare. From Kabale to Lira, from Masaka to Arua, Ugandans die every day in under-equipped, understaffed hospitals. What makes this story stand out is not the tragedy, but the stature of its narrator. That someone so high-ranking would publicly rebuke the system at a time of mourning signals a growing consensus: the emperor has no clothes.
Her words must not be dismissed as emotional outbursts of grief—they are a national indictment.
Conclusion: From Eulogy to Revolution?
The death of JB Kakooza should not be another footnote in Uganda’s long list of preventable fatalities. It must spark serious public discourse, policy interrogation, and civic action. When even those at the helm of the judiciary cannot find help in Uganda’s so-called “National Referral Hospital,” then the question is not if the system is broken—it is how much longer we will let it break us all.
🕊️ Rest in Peace, Advocate John Baptist Kakooza. May your death not be in vain.
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Editor’s Note:
Do you have a story of hospital neglect or medical injustice in Uganda? Reach out to our investigative desk at ugandatodayedition@gmail.com. Your voice matters.
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