A health camp organized by Moroto County MP aspirant Dr. Samuel Odongo Oledo sparked controversy last week after one of his political rivals reported the event to the Alebtong Resident District Commissioner (RDC), alleging that the camp was operating illegally and using expired drugs.
The complaint, filed at the RDC’s office, claimed that Dr. Oledo had not received clearance from the authorities and that some of the medicines being used had expired — posing a health risk to the public. In response, RDC Geoffrey Okiswa convened an emergency District Security Committee meeting on Sunday to assess the situation.
However, on Monday, Dr. Oledo appeared at the RDC’s office with documentation to defend his initiative, including a letter granting him permission to run the camp and purchase receipts showing the expiry dates of the drugs.
Following the presentation of the documents, a joint team comprising officials from the RDC’s office and the District Health Officer (DHO) inspected the drugs. The inspection confirmed that several drug packages had expiry dates as far back as 2017 — raising serious concerns.
Despite the findings, RDC Okiswa granted conditional approval for the health camp to proceed, stating that it would now be closely monitored by security and health officials.
“We are in a political season, yes,” RDC Okiswa said, “but when someone is offering a service to humanity, it should not be politicized. Politicians should separate their ambitions from the public good when engaging in social services.”
In his defense, Dr. Odongo Oledo, a medical doctor and former president of the Uganda Medical Association, denied knowingly using expired drugs and emphasized the importance of the health camp to the people of Moroto.
“This camp is for the people. It’s unfortunate that politics is being used to tarnish good work,” Dr. Oledo said. “I am a trained doctor and I understand the seriousness of using expired drugs. I would never risk people’s lives.”
The health camp, which provides free medical services to hundreds in the constituency, will continue as scheduled — but under strict surveillance.
Dr. Oledo is currently seeking the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party ticket to contest for the Moroto County parliamentary seat in the upcoming elections.
