UgandaToday: Face to Face with Surgeries but Still Growing Strong: My Own Story
By Oweyegha-Afunaduula
Conservation Biologist
20 September 2025
A Lifetime of Surgeries
I don’t know how many surgeries you may have experienced in your life. For me, it has been six surgeries over a period of 76 years.
My parents, the late Charles Afunaduula Ovuma Ngobi Isabirye and the late Stephanie Esteri Kyabwe Nawamwena Naigaga Wabiseatyo, told me that my first surgery was on my right leg.
I was born premature on 27th July 1949 and placed in an incubator at Jinja Hospital. During that time, a wound developed on my right leg. Doctors decided to graft flesh from my left buttock to heal the wound when I was just three months old. Although I still feel where the flesh was removed, the graft area is no longer recognizable.
Eye Surgery in Nairobi
My second surgery happened in November 1980 at Nairobi Hospital, Kenya. I was 31 years old and pursuing a Master’s degree in Zoology (Biology of Conservation) at the University of Nairobi’s Chiromo Campus. Doctors removed an outgrowth that was extending over my iris and interfering with vision in my left eye.
A Cockroach in My Ear at Tsavo
The third surgery was the most unusual. In March 1983, while living in Tsavo National Park (East), Kenya, a cockroach crawled into my ear as I slept.
The agony was unbearable, especially when the insect struggled in its death throes inside my ear canal. My wife Jane confirmed what it was, but her attempt to remove it only drove it deeper.
At dawn, we sought help from the Park’s research warden, who drove us to Voi Hospital. The doctors had never handled such a case. Eventually, I was taken to the main theatre, where 12 doctors observed as the creature was extracted under anesthesia. That experience left me with a lifelong hatred of cockroaches—I never sleep before checking my surroundings.
Struggles with Haemorrhoids
My fourth surgery took place at Mulago Hospital in 2000, at the age of 51. Dr. Awori operated on my haemorrhoids, warning that they sometimes return after surgery. Unfortunately, his words proved true.
The condition resurfaced in 2012, and at Kampala International Hospital, Dr. Rachkara performed another surgery. When haemorrhoids reappeared in 2016, I opted for an alternative approach with Dr. Waiswa Zziwa, who practices Chinese medicine. Since then, I have not experienced the problem again.
Cataract Surgery at Mengo Hospital
My fifth surgery was in February 2021 at Mengo Hospital’s Eye Clinic. At 72, cataracts had started affecting my vision. Dr. Dan Bwonya successfully removed them using laser technology, restoring my sight.
Prostate Surgery at Uro-Care Hospital
Most recently, on 10th September 2025, I underwent my sixth surgery at Uro-Care Hospital in Nansana. Dr. Steven Watya had earlier advised that I might need prostate surgery, and indeed, Dr. Rajab Idris performed the operation using advanced laser technology. At 76 years old, I am now recuperating and reflecting on this journey.
Looking Ahead: Documenting My Prostate Journey
I am currently writing another article titled “My Prostate Journey from Nawaka to Uro-Care Hospital.” In it, I intend to share my lessons and reflections on Uganda’s healthcare system, the professionalism I experienced in a private hospital, and how the environmental dimensions of healthcare remain neglected by both government and regulatory bodies like NEMA.
For God and My Country.
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