Uganda’s High Court to pronounce itself on missing twin baby

The High Court has set January 24 to deliver judgement in a case filed in 2013 by a Ugandan human rights watchdog against the office of the Executive Director of Mulago National Referral Hospital and the Attorney General, over a stolen twin baby.

Center for Health, Human rights and Development (CEHURD) filed the case in the Kampala High Court on behalf of Micheal Mubangizi and Jennifer Musimenta . The couple want court to declare that their rights to a family have been violated, and that they are entitled to damages for their loss, having been informed by a nurse that their second baby had died.

The couple contend that they are traumatized and psychologically tortured every day of their life, every time they look at their other child. They argue that they are sure their child isn’t dead, she is alive and that they are now afraid of giving birth in hospitals.

Justice Lydia Mugambe heard the case and says the judgement will be ready next Tuesday at 4pm.

In her case Musimenta argues that on March 12, 2012 she developed labour pains, and was taken to hospital by Mubangizi. She further purports that on the same day at about 8pm, she delivered twins, and was asked for a bed sheet where the babies was wrapped.

Court documents show that on the discharge date of March 15, Musimenta left without the body of the second twin.

Musimenta claims that her request for her medical records before and after birth, were ignored.

Then when they insisted on having the body, they were informed that it could not be traced.

On March 16, 2012 they lodged a complaint at Mulago Police post after being told on March 18, by a midwife that the body had been discovered in a box.

Musimenta asserts that Police advised her to take a DNA test which also revealed a mismatch, and confirmed their allegations.

However then Attorney General Peter Nyombi, and the Mulago Executive Director Dr Byarugaba Baterana have refuted claims that they are responsible for the disappearance of the said twin baby purportedly stolen from the hospital.

AG stated that if at all the claims are true, government and the executive director cannot be held accountable for actions of the culprits who acted on their own volition.

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editor@independent.co.ug