Former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has told the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court that his health is rapidly deteriorating after doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital diagnosed him with five chronic medical conditions, including complications that require surgery in India.
Appearing before the court via video link from Luzira Prison, Lukwago said a team of specialists found that his conditions require urgent medical intervention.
The medical assessment followed a week-long admission at Mulago Hospital after the court declined to grant him bail.
According to Lukwago, the doctors diagnosed him with chronic lung damage, complications from the cervical spine surgery he underwent in India in 2024, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction affecting his hearing, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with a hiatus hernia, and hypertension.
He told the court that doctors recommended he return to India for a review by the surgeons who carried out his previous spinal operation because they could not safely perform further MRI scans due to uncertainty over the compatibility of the implanted spinal discs.
Lukwago said he continues to suffer severe pain and believes he should already be receiving treatment abroad.
He also revealed that doctors found permanent damage to his lungs, which causes breathing difficulties, particularly in poorly ventilated environments. The specialists reportedly advised that he be kept in a well-ventilated setting.
Lukwago said doctors confirmed that the damage is irreversible and recommended continued use of a specialised hearing device prescribed before his arrest. However, he accused prison authorities of denying him access to the device and refusing to allow it to be repaired after it was dismantled.
He further told the court that he suffers from GERD and a hiatus hernia, conditions that increase his risk of developing lower oesophageal cancer. He said doctors recommended surgery and a specialised diet, neither of which is available to him in prison, leaving him dependent on medication to manage the condition.
Lukwago added that he has lived with high blood pressure for about 10 years but said the stress of his current medical conditions has worsened it.
He said he feared he would not survive if the recommendations made by the medical specialists were ignored.
“In a nutshell, I have been condemned to death. If no rescue is made as advised by the consultants from Mulago, this is a death sentence for me,” Lukwago told the court.
Lukwago is charged with misprision of treason. Prosecutors allege that he failed to report information relating to an alleged treason plot involving his clients, Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale. He has denied the charge.
