Man Wrongly Put on ARVs for Seven Years Wins Shs190 Million Here’s What the Judge Really Said

This one hits hard.

A man from Jinja named John Wataka was told in 2016 that he was HIV positive. For seven long years he swallowed ARVs every single day, thinking his life depended on it. He lost his marriage, lived with constant fear, and carried the heavy stigma.

Then in 2022, when he tried to claim NSSF benefits for HIV-positive people, fresh tests came back negative. TASO re-tested him — still negative.

He took the organisation to court. Yesterday, High Court Justice Joanita Bushara in Jinja ordered TASO to pay him Shs190 million (Shs140m general damages + Shs50m aggravated).

The judge didn’t hold back. She said the case shows the danger of following “protocol” blindly instead of using common sense and professional judgment. Wataka trusted the system, and the system failed him badly.

This judgment is a loud wake-up call for all health facilities. Mistakes like this destroy lives. For people living with HIV and those wrongly diagnosed, it brings hope that accountability is possible