The infectious disease facility, initially scheduled for completion in April 2025, remains unfinished as plumbing works await completion, with the hospital superintendent saying the Ministry of Health is handling the contractor's payment dispute.
The completion of a Shs4.12 billion isolation unit at Kisoro Hospital has stalled at 80%, with delayed government payments to the contractor leaving the facility unfinished more than a year after its original deadline.
The project was intended to strengthen the hospital's capacity to manage infectious diseases and public health emergencies, reducing the need to refer patients to other facilities during outbreaks.
Geses Uganda Limited was contracted to construct the facility under the Uganda COVID-19 Response and Emergency Preparedness Project (UCREPP), funded by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank through the Ministry of Health.
Construction started on April 10, 2024, with a 12-month completion period ending in April 2025. However, as of October 2026, the facility remains incomplete, with plumbing works among the outstanding tasks.
The project has missed several commissioning deadlines. It was initially expected to be commissioned in September 2025 before being lined up for commissioning by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during his campaign visit to Kisoro on November 24, 2025.
That plan did not materialise.
On April 7, 2026, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine was scheduled to commission several health projects in Kisoro, including the isolation unit, but the event did not take place. Another target set for August 2026 also passed without the facility becoming operational.
The contractor reportedly returned to the site in September after a prolonged wait for payment, but work has stalled again despite plumbing materials reportedly being available at the site.
Available information indicates that the World Bank disbursed funds to the government, which subsequently made a partial payment to the contractor. However, the amount paid and the outstanding balance could not be established by press time.
In an interview with Nile Post, Kisoro Hospital Superintendent Dr Emmanuel Bahane said the Ministry of Health was handling the payment matter and expressed optimism that it would be resolved to allow the contractor to complete the project.
Bahane said only minor works, mainly plumbing, remained before the facility could be put to use.
“Only minor works, mainly plumbing, are left before the facility can be put to use. It will cut referrals to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, about 75 kilometres away,” Bahane said.
He said the isolation unit would improve the hospital's ability to manage patients requiring specialised isolation, particularly during disease outbreaks.
According to Bahane, the hospital handles about 10 isolation cases on a normal day, with the number rising to approximately 100 cases a month during surges, particularly involving patients from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Operationalisation of the unit will ease congestion, improve case management and benefit the wider community,” he said.
Bahane also acknowledged the support of the late State Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Sarah Nyirabashitsi Mateke, towards the project.
The prolonged delay has raised concerns about the timely delivery of critical health infrastructure in a district where the hospital serves communities potentially affected by infectious disease outbreaks.
An operational isolation unit would give the hospital additional capacity to separate and manage patients requiring isolation, ease pressure on existing facilities and reduce referrals to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
However, the facility's continued inactivity means the intended benefits remain unrealised as the hospital awaits the resolution of the payment dispute and completion of the outstanding works.
Efforts to obtain comments from Geses Construction, the Ministry of Health and the responsible health official at Kisoro District Local Government were unsuccessful by press time.