Minister of State for Education and Sports (Sports) Peter Ogwang has clarified that 80 students at Lubega Institute of Nursing and Health Professionals in Iganga District were affected by a payment dispute involving forged bank slips, insisting that none of them was suspended or expelled.
In a ministerial statement presented to Parliament in October 2026, Ogwang explained that the institution discovered discrepancies between the tuition fees receipted and the amounts credited to its official bank account with Stanbic Bank.
According to the statement, the discrepancy was identified in June 2025, prompting the institute to verify the payments made by students. The bank subsequently confirmed that some of the payment slips presented to the institution had been forged.
The institute later reviewed all payment slips presented between January 2025 and June 2026, identifying 80 students whose payments were affected.
Management alleged that the students had entrusted their tuition fees to an individual who offered to pay the money on their behalf but instead issued forged payment slips showing amounts higher than those actually deposited. Consequently, the money represented by the forged slips never reached the institute’s official account.
Addressing concerns raised in Parliament on October 13, 2026, Ogwang said the Ministry of Education and Sports shared legislators’ concerns about the interruption of the students’ education, particularly because they were training to serve in the country’s health sector.
“The House is right to ask how their studies came to be interrupted,” Ogwang said, assuring Parliament that the Ministry would continue engaging the institution to establish that the matter was handled fairly.
The institute’s management disciplinary committee considered the matter on September 4, 2026, followed by top management on September 7 and the Board of Governors on September 8.
Following guidance from the Board, the matter was reported to police on September 9, 2026, for investigation.
Subsequently, meetings were held on September 11 and October 1, bringing together institute management, the affected students, their parents and police officers to discuss the circumstances surrounding the payments and possible arrangements for settling the outstanding fees.
Ogwang told Parliament that, according to the institute, the affected students were asked to return home with their parents to address the outstanding fees because the payments represented by the forged slips had not reached the institution.
However, he emphasised that the institute maintained that none of the 80 students had been formally suspended or expelled. The action, according to management, was taken under its fees payment policy and student disciplinary regulations.
The statement further indicated that parents experiencing financial difficulties were allowed to pay the outstanding amounts in instalments while their children continued with their studies.
Regarding the status of the affected students, 15 had already completed their courses, while 55 were continuing students. The institute reported that nine continuing students had cleared their outstanding fees and resumed their studies, while the remaining affected students were in the process of resolving their balances under agreed arrangements.
The institute also indicated that the affected students could return, receive counselling and resume their studies once the agreed payment arrangements were met. No fixed date had been imposed for their return.
Meanwhile, police investigations into the alleged forgery have resulted in the apprehension of two principal suspects, who were arrested on October 7, 2026, according to the statement.
The suspects have since been arraigned in court on charges relating to forgery, uttering forged documents and impersonation. The proceedings are ongoing.
Ogwang said decisions regarding prosecution and formal arrangements for witnesses remain the responsibility of the relevant investigating and prosecuting authorities.
