KISORO UGANDA: The completion of the UGX 4.12 billion Kisoro Hospital Isolation Unit remains uncertain, with construction reportedly stalled at 80 percent as the contractor awaits payment from the Government of Uganda.
The project, funded by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health with support from the World Bank under the Uganda COVID-19 Response and Emergency Preparedness Project (UCREPP), was intended to strengthen the hospital’s capacity to manage infectious diseases and public health emergencies.
Construction, contracted to Geses Uganda Limited, began on April 10, 2024, with a planned completion period of 12 months, setting the original deadline for April 2025.
However, as of October 2026, the facility remains incomplete, with plumbing works among the outstanding tasks.
The project has missed several anticipated commissioning dates. September 2025 was initially mentioned as a possible commissioning period before President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was expected to commission the facility during his visit to Kisoro on Monday, November 24, 2025, while campaigning for the presidency.
However, the commissioning did not take place as anticipated. On April 7, 2026, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr. Diana Atwine, was scheduled to commission key health infrastructure projects in Kisoro District, including the isolation unit, with preparations already underway. However, the commissioning did not take place. Another anticipated commissioning date in August 2026 also passed without the facility becoming operational.
Delayed payments to the contractor are now being cited as one of the factors holding up completion. Plumbing materials are reportedly already at the site, but the remaining works have yet to be completed.
The contractor reportedly returned to the site in September after waiting for payment, but work has again stalled, leaving completion dependent on the resolution of the outstanding payment concerns.
Reports indicate that the World Bank released funds to the Government of Uganda, which subsequently paid part of the money to the contractor. However, the amount paid and the outstanding balance have not been independently established.
In an exclusive interview with The Lens Reports on Saturday, Kisoro Hospital Superintendent Dr. Emmanuel Bahane said the Ministry of Health was handling the matter and expressed confidence that the payment concerns would be resolved to enable the contractor to complete the project.
Bahane said the isolation unit would significantly improve the hospital’s capacity to manage patients requiring isolation, particularly during disease outbreaks.
He also acknowledged the role of State Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke in supporting the project, which is intended to improve health service delivery in the district.
The hospital superintendent said only a few outstanding works, particularly plumbing, remained before the facility could be completed and put into use.
CUE IN DR. BAHANE ON GOVERNMENT PAYMENT
He added that the isolation unit would reduce the need to refer patients to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, approximately 75 kilometres from Kisoro.
According to Bahane, Kisoro Hospital handles about 10 cases requiring isolation on a normal day. During periods of increased patient influx, particularly involving people arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the number can rise to approximately 100 cases per month.
He said completing the facility would ease pressure on the hospital, improve the management of patients requiring isolation and benefit the wider community.
CUE IN DR. EMMANUEL ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ISOLATION UNIT
The continued delay raises concerns about the timely completion of a major health infrastructure project intended to strengthen Kisoro Hospital’s preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks.
The hospital and the surrounding communities now await the resolution of the payment concerns to allow construction to resume, the remaining works to be completed and the facility to become operational.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a comment from Geses Construction and the Ministry of Health proved futile, while the responsible health official at Kisoro District Local Government did not respond to requests for comment.
