Alwyn Carl Garuga, son of the late businessman Dr. James Musinguzi Garuga, has instructed his lawyers to file a civil suit in the High Court Civil Division in Kampala over the circumstances surrounding his father’s death following complications after surgery in August 2025.
The suit, filed through Abeine Buregyeya and Company Advocates, seeks to have court establish the circumstances and alleged causes of Dr. Garuga’s death and hold those found responsible accountable.
Alwyn says he has chosen to move the dispute from social media to the courts, where he believes the allegations can be properly examined and determined.
“This is no longer a social media battle. I have given my lawyers formal instructions to file a causing death case for my father, and the matters are going to be resolved by court,” Alwyn said.
According to Alwyn, his father’s death was linked to alleged medical negligence and delays in accessing specialised treatment abroad. He particularly blames his mother, Peace Kesiime Bagorogoza, whom he claims had authority over his father’s medical decisions.
Dr. Garuga was admitted to Nakasero Hospital in February 2025 after suffering a dislocated hip and was later diagnosed with diabetes.
Alwyn alleges that doctors recommended that his father be urgently transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States for specialised treatment, but claims the proposed evacuation did not take place.
He says attention later shifted to the United Kingdom, where arrangements were reportedly made for treatment at Cromwell Hospital.
According to Alwyn, an initial UK visa application was rejected after his father’s occupation was reportedly listed as a farmer. He says a fresh application was subsequently submitted following his intervention and was approved within days, although valuable time had already been lost.
Alwyn further claims that, with assistance from Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa and former Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, an air ambulance had been placed on standby to evacuate his father from Nakasero Hospital to London.
However, he alleges that the evacuation was ultimately abandoned after his father’s passport was submitted for a separate visa application to Turkey, which he believes caused further delays.
As Dr. Garuga’s condition deteriorated, treatment continued in Uganda. Alwyn questions the decision to proceed with a hip replacement shortly after his father had been diagnosed with diabetes, arguing that the surgery was carried out before his blood sugar levels had stabilised.
He also alleges that there were other lapses in his father’s care, including an incident at the family home in Mbuya where, according to him, food administered through a feeding tube entered Dr. Garuga’s lungs and worsened his condition.
Following the surgery, Dr. Garuga’s health reportedly deteriorated further and he was later diagnosed with cancer. He was subsequently transferred from Nakasero Hospital to CORSU Hospital, a decision Alwyn also questions given the complexity of his father’s condition.
Alwyn further alleges that, in his father’s final days, an open-chest procedure was carried out despite advice from a doctor at Nakasero Hospital against the procedure.
“Peace Bagorogoza instead ordered doctors to carry out an open-chest surgery on him that killed him,” Alwyn alleged.
He also claims that he was denied access to his father during official visiting hours on the day Dr. Garuga died, an experience he says has left him with unanswered questions about what happened during his father’s final hours.
Alwyn accuses Peace Bagorogoza and his brother, Philip Musinguzi, of making decisions that, in his view, delayed or denied Dr. Garuga access to appropriate specialised treatment abroad.
He maintains that his mother was not interested in ensuring that his father received better medical treatment outside Uganda.
Alwyn has also said he has opened a criminal case against Bagorogoza and other individuals in connection with his father’s death, seeking to have those responsible face the law.
The allegations contained in the suit and statements by Alwyn remain subject to determination by the courts, and the accused parties will have an opportunity to respond to the claims.
