Prof. Anthony Mbonye is dead

The former Director-General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Prof. Anthony K. Mbonye has been pronounced dead.

The news of Mbonye’s death was made public by the Senior Presidential Press Secretary, Linda Nabusayi on Sunday morning.

“The State House Comptroller Ms. Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye with deep sorrow announces the death of her dear husband Prof. Anthony Kabanza Mbonye this morning. He was a professor at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University and Uganda Christian University,”Nabusayi said.

It is said that Prof. Mbonye died from his home at Buziga, a Kampala suburb.

Formerly the Director Clinical and Community Services at the Ministry of Health, Mbonye was in June 2016 appointed as the acting Director-General of Health Services.

In 2017, he was removed from the position after the IGG challenged his appointment citing conflict of interest.

Mbonye later ran to High Court which later cleared him but the court ruling came two days after he had decided to resign from the position.

“I no longer had confidence in their capacity to lead; and felt that I could no longer work alongside officers who leveraged the power of their undeserved positions and conducted themselves in such an unprofessional way,” he wrote in his book titled; Uganda’s Health Sector – Through Turbulent Politics (1958-2018).

The book has since rattled many at the Ministry of Health as he exposed what he termed as rot and power struggles at the ministry.

In 2019, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr. Diana Atwine sued Prof.Mbonye for allegedly defaming her in his new book.

Through her lawyers of K&K Advocates, Dr Atwine sought an apology from Prof Mbonye, general damages, exemplary damages, a permanent injunction, interest and costs of the suit.