The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has fined a former orthopedic specialist at Mulago Hospital, Dr. Hassan Segujja, Shs 4 million after he pleaded guilty to forging medical documents to aid the bail application of city lawyer and NRM flagbearer nominee David Balondemu.
Segujja avoided a custodial sentence of over three years through a plea bargain with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), presented before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi on Wednesday.
The agreement, dated July 8, 2025, was submitted by Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya, with input from Segujja’s lawyer Kenneth Engoru and State Attorney Viola Tusingwire.
According to the deal, Segujja admitted to forging a medical report in November 2023, falsely stating that Balondemu was scheduled to undergo TURP surgery at Kampala Hospital.
The report was intended to support a bail application while Balondemu was detained at Wandegeya Police Station in a separate fraud case.
The fake documents were allegedly forwarded to Balondemu’s lawyer, Caleb Alaka, and later presented in court. However, State Attorney Ivan Kyazze flagged inconsistencies, prompting verification with Kampala Hospital.
The hospital’s CEO, Dr. Peter Kibuuka, confirmed that Balondemu was never a patient and the documents were not issued by the facility.
Following the discovery, both Segujja and Balondemu were charged with forgery and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Segujja evaded arrest for several months—allegedly on Balondemu’s advice—after receiving Shs 1.7 million to stay hidden from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit. He was eventually apprehended and arraigned on March 1, 2025.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness, Segujja said he had a longstanding friendship with Balondemu dating back to 2016. Should he fail to pay the court fine, he will serve a two-year custodial sentence at Luzira Prison.
Balondemu, a Kampala District Land Board official and recently nominated NRM flagbearer for Luuka North Constituency, first ran into legal trouble in 2023.
He was accused of conspiring to defraud USD 553,000 from KG Unlimited LLC by falsely claiming to secure a government supply contract. That case, along with a Shs 2.2 billion gold scam involving a Korean investor, was later dismissed for lack of evidence.
During his bail application in the fraud case, Balondemu presented the forged medical documents as justification for release on medical grounds.
Presiding magistrate Winnie Nankya had warned that any falsification would result in additional charges—leading to the current prosecution after Kampala Hospital confirmed the documents were fake.
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