The arrest comes as the NDA intensifies a nationwide crackdown on the theft and illegal diversion of government medicines from public health facilities.
Authorities from the National Drug Authority (NDA) have arrested an Assistant Nursing Officer from Kassanda District after he was allegedly found in illegal possession of thousands of government-supplied medicines, including more than 100,000 doses of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).
The suspect, identified as Nsamba Swamad, works at Kassanda Health Centre IV. He was arrested following a joint operation that led investigators to Bukuya Trading Centre, where he reportedly operates part-time at a private clinic.
According to NDA spokesperson Abiaz Rwamwiri, the medicines were discovered hidden in a pit latrine at the trading centre. Among the recovered items were more than 100,000 doses of ARVs, 15,000 doses of Aspirin, and 400 HIV testing kits. All the medicines were clearly labelled “Government of Uganda – Not for Sale.”
“This is a serious betrayal of public trust and undermines efforts to ensure free access to essential medicines for Ugandans,” Rwamwiri said. “All these drugs were clearly marked as not for sale, yet they were being diverted for personal gain.”
The arrest comes as the NDA intensifies a nationwide crackdown on the theft and illegal diversion of government medicines from public health facilities.
In a related case in Isingiro District, authorities arrested Senior Clinical Officer John Baptist Muzahura along with an accomplice who served as a Health Information Assistant and stores in-charge. Investigators recovered more than 500,000 doses of ARVs, anti-malaria drugs, and other government medicines from Nyamuyanja Health Centre IV. One of the accomplices in the case was later sentenced to three years in prison.
In October 2025, three health workers who had stolen tens of thousands of ARV doses from government hospitals were also convicted by the Makindye Standards Court and sentenced to four years in prison, a ruling the NDA described as a strong deterrent against the illegal diversion of public medicines.
Separate operations in the Acholi sub-region also resulted in the arrest of two health workers in Gulu over the alleged theft of HIV prevention drugs, highlighting what authorities say is a growing nationwide problem.
Officials have further reported cases involving military personnel accused of stealing ARVs from military health facilities.
Health authorities warn that diverting essential medicines into unauthorised channels denies vulnerable patients life-saving treatment and fuels a black market for drugs that are meant to be distributed free of charge.
“Every dose diverted from health centres puts lives at risk,” Rwamwiri said.
NDA officials, working with the police, are expected to formally charge Nsamba as investigations continue into whether other individuals may have been involved in receiving or distributing the stolen medicines.
