The family had tentatively planned to hold the burial this Saturday in Mukono, but the date may change depending on how quickly the funds are mobilised.
The body of Augustine Nsubuga, formerly a Primary six learner at Greenhill Academy Buwaate in Kira Municipality and son to Mukono lawyer Kenneth Nsubuga Ssebagayunga, who died on Wednesday 12th November 2025 after falling off the second floor at school while playing with his peers, has been detained by TMR International Hospital Naalya where he was hospitalized for three weeks following the incident.
Burial arrangements have been put off pending realization of the medical bills amounting to sh150m, demanded by TMR International Hospital who have detained the body till outstanding bills are settled.
The deceased fell off the storeyed building on 22nd October 2025 and rushed to TMR Hospital where he has since been hospitalized undergoing treatment for three weeks up to the time of his death. His body is currently stored in a funeral home under the hospital’s custody.
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Family sources say the hospital management have set a condition of at least up to 50% settlement of the bill to release the body for burial, with the balance to be paid at a later date.
Fundraising efforts are underway among family members, friends and the Greenhill School community in an effort to meet the required amount.
The family had tentatively planned to hold the burial this Saturday in Mukono, but the date may change depending on how quickly the funds are mobilised.
TMR International Hospital has previously been associated with similar situations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families of the late Aggrey Awori and Kaaya of Kaaya Investments reported delays in accessing their relatives’ remains over unsettled medical bills.
Efforts to obtain comment from the hospital regarding the current case were unsuccessful, as calls to management went unanswered.
Whereas cases of hospitals retaining bodies over unpaid medical bills has become a common practice, and while it is turning into a subject of public discussion in Uganda, legal analysts note that courts have ruled that health facilities are not designated detention centres and therefore cannot detain a patient or a deceased person as a means of securing payment.
According to these experts, the legally accepted approach for recovering outstanding medical bills involves obtaining written undertakings from caretakers or pursuing the debt through civil procedures, including seeking payment from a deceased person’s estate.
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Professional bodies such as the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council and officials from the Ministry of Health have previously stated that holding bodies for non-payment is not provided for under current regulations.
Private hospitals, on their part, have told parliamentary committees that high treatment costs, particularly for intensive care, reflect the price of equipment, medicines, specialized staff and operational expenses, especially during periods of heightened demand such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a vigil on Wednesday evening, members of the Greenhill community expressed sympathy and pledged continued support to the family representatives, who said the parents appreciated the assistance offered so far by the school community.
The Greenhill Parents’ Committee is coordinating fundraising across different class groups, with the goal of presenting a consolidated contribution to help the family proceed with burial arrangements once the body is released.
