BY BICHOLIN K  MUSISI

KAMPALA, Uganda â€” The chairman of the Kampala District Land Board, David Balondemu, faces accusations that he tricked a doctor into fabricating medical documents to influence court proceedings in his favor. A doctor testified yesterday that Balondemu, who is charged with fraud, sought the forged reports to avoid detention.

Dr. Hassan Ssegujja, a suspect now serving as a state witness, told the court he became friends with Balondemu in 2016 while he was a medical student at Mulago hospital, where he treated Balondemu’s mother.

Ssegujja testified that in November 2023, Balondemu called him from Wandegeya Police Station, where he was detained. Balondemu allegedly asked for forged documents, including a letter claiming he was ill and needed surgery, and a CT scan report indicating he had a peritoneal mass.

Ssegujja said the documents were falsified to appear as if they originated from Kampala Hospital, despite him never having worked there. He added that Balondemu “begged me to draft a medical letter that he could present in court to avoid remand. He even sent me a WhatsApp contact for a lawyer, who coordinated the process.”

After the documents were presented, Ssegujja said he visited the police station for clarification but was told by a lawyer identified as Kamba that the documents wouldn’t be used in court. However, media reports days later confirmed that Balondemu had presented forged medical records in court.

“In January 2024, Mr. Balondemu called me and warned me to switch off my phones, saying the State House Anti-Corruption Unit was investigating the forgery,” Ssegujja told Buganda Road Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi.

Ssegujja evaded authorities for nearly a year, periodically receiving WhatsApp messages from Balondemu promising to resolve the matter.

“In February 2025, he told me he needed money to bribe my way out of the case. I sent him Shs1.7 million,” Ssegujja testified. He was arrested a day later by operatives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit. His phone, containing incriminating WhatsApp messages and screenshots, was seized as evidence.

During cross-examination, Balondemu tried to distance himself from Ssegujja. “You have never been my doctor,” Balondemu argued, asking, “Didn’t I ask you to take me for a check-up to Kampala Hospital, where your friend, Dr. Innocent, attended to me?”

Ssegujja conceded he accompanied Balondemu to the hospital for a routine check-up but emphasized that the forged documents were unrelated to that visit. “You told me to take a picture of you at the hospital to send to someone,” Ssegujja recounted. “But the medical forms I authored for you later had no connection to that day.”

The case has been adjourned to August 6 for further hearing of prosecution witnesses.