Was Tycoon James Garuga Murdered? See How Nakasero Hospital Is in Trouble as Son Demands Answers

KAMPALA – A storm is brewing around the death of businessman and philanthropist James Garuga Musinguzi, with his family pointing fingers at Nakasero Hospital over alleged medical negligence, foul play and obstruction of efforts to evacuate him for specialized treatment abroad.

Court records filed before the High Court in Kampala (Civil Division) reveal that Musinguzi Alwyn Carl Garuga, the first son and heir of the late tycoon has dragged Nakasero Hospital Ltd to court, seeking access to his father’s full medical records, surgery details, referral notes, and cause-of-death documentation.

According to the application, Garuga Snr. was admitted to Nakasero Hospital in February 2025 with a dislocated hip, but was also diagnosed with diabetes. His son maintains that medical protocols dictate that a patient with freshly diagnosed diabetes should not undergo major surgery until at least three months later, once blood sugar levels stabilize.

Instead, the hospital is accused of rushing into a hip replacement surgery barely three weeks after the diabetes diagnosis, despite opposition from the family. Court documents allege that the procedure gravely compromised Garuga’s immunity, exposing him to pneumonia, a new cancer of the oesophagus, and other complications that allegedly triggered his death.

The son further claims that his late father had already secured a UK visa, a confirmed medical air ambulance, and in-patient admission at Cromwell Hospital in London, as well as a booked appointment at Royal Marsden Private Care on 11th August 2025. But before he could be evacuated, Garuga Snr’s passport was confiscated and handed to the Turkish visa office, allegedly at the instigation of the hospital, crippling all efforts to fly him out.

As suspicions mounted, the son filed a Human Rights Enforcement Miscellaneous Cause (HCT-00-CV-MC-204-2025) in a bid to secure court orders to evacuate his father. But before the case could be heard, Garuga Snr. died on 6th August 2025—just days before his London medical appointments.

The son has since accused the hospital of collusion, concealment, and deliberately frustrating his father’s survival chances. His lawyers’ requests for full disclosure of treatment records have reportedly been ignored, prompting the current application for interrogatories and discovery.

In his affidavit, Alwyn Carl insists that the circumstances surrounding his father’s death are “both actionable in civil and criminal jurisdiction,” and vows to pursue justice.

This case has ignited fresh debate over the accountability of private hospitals in Uganda, many of which have faced criticism for high charges, lack of transparency, and patient-rights violations.

Nakasero Hospital has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.

If the court grants Alwyn Carl’s application, Nakasero Hospital will be compelled to hand over all medical documents related to the tycoon’s treatment—records which may either clear the hospital’s name or expose a scandal of grave proportions.

For now, the question remains hanging in the air, Was Tycoon James Garuga murdered through medical negligence and obstruction, or was his death an unavoidable medical tragedy?