Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A government assistant nursing officer has landed in serious trouble after authorities caught him with more than 100,000 doses of antiretroviral drugs hidden in a pit latrine. The Uganda National Drug Authority identified the suspect as Swamad Nsamba, who works at Kassanda Health Centre IV but also runs a part-time private clinic in Bukuya Trading Centre.
Officials recovered the stolen medicines along with 15,000 aspirin tablets and 400 HIV testing kits, all clearly labelled as government property that should never be sold. The haul sits in a latrine at his side clinic, a move that shocked even seasoned investigators. Nsamba now sits in detention and will appear before the Makindye Wildlife and Utilities Court on charges of illegal possession of government stores and classified drugs.
This case adds to a worrying pattern. Since 2019 the authority has recovered government medicines worth 15 billion shillings and arrested 62 people, including 43 health workers. Stories keep surfacing about free ARVs ending up in private hands or even mixed into animal feed sold in markets. For the thousands of Ugandans living with HIV who rely on these drugs to stay healthy, every stolen dose means higher risk of treatment gaps and drug resistance. The arrest serves as a reminder that theft inside the health system does more than break the law. It directly threatens lives in a country still battling to keep HIV under control.
