Accident: Saudi court awards Shs 270m to Ugandan domestic worker Nakintu
- Written by URN
Atanansi Nsubuga
A court in Saudi Arabia has awarded Judith Nakintu, a Ugandan domestic worker Shs 270 million who lost her right kidney while at King Fahad hospital in Jeddah.
Nakintu lost her kidney when she was admitted after getting involved in an accident with her employer Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari. The Saudi court led by Ibrahim Mohammed Hamud Al-Mahyani found Dhafer culpable for causing the accident in which, Nakintu was injured.
Nakintu lost her kidney when she was admitted after getting involved in an accident with her employer Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari. The Saudi court led by Ibrahim Mohammed Hamud Al-Mahyani found Dhafer culpable for causing the accident in which, Nakintu was injured.
“…convicting Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari of the error in the accident by 100 per cent. Obligating the defendant, Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari, to hand over to the plaintiff, Nakintu Judith, the indemnity for the aforementioned injury an amount of 271,450 Riyals,” the ruling by Al-Mahyani reads in part.
Nakintu has been in the news for losing a kidney in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by the proprietors of the Kiwatule based Nile Treasure Gate, a labour export firm and Dhafer. However, Nile Treasure through their lawyer, Atanansi Nsubuga, insists that Nakintu was involved in an accident on March 20, 2020, less than four months after leaving Uganda.
Nsubuga explained that they have since been following the issue and even sued Dhafer to compensate Nakintu until the court delivered its verdict on January 30, 2022, awarding the victim Shs 270m minus legal costs. A traffic report from Saudi Arabia translated by Makerere University college of education and external studies shows that Nakintu was at the time of the accident driving with Dhafer.
Other occupants included Dhafer’s wife, three daughters and son. The car allegedly overturned at New Coast road, a few metres from Al-Qattan Bridge towards Al-Laith.
Nakintu has been in the news for losing a kidney in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by the proprietors of the Kiwatule based Nile Treasure Gate, a labour export firm and Dhafer. However, Nile Treasure through their lawyer, Atanansi Nsubuga, insists that Nakintu was involved in an accident on March 20, 2020, less than four months after leaving Uganda.
Nsubuga explained that they have since been following the issue and even sued Dhafer to compensate Nakintu until the court delivered its verdict on January 30, 2022, awarding the victim Shs 270m minus legal costs. A traffic report from Saudi Arabia translated by Makerere University college of education and external studies shows that Nakintu was at the time of the accident driving with Dhafer.
Other occupants included Dhafer’s wife, three daughters and son. The car allegedly overturned at New Coast road, a few metres from Al-Qattan Bridge towards Al-Laith.
“…a traffic accident occurred in which a vehicle of Tahoe model overturned, plate number (5569), driver Saadi Dhafer, Saudi national, I.D number 1036733028 holds a driver’s license and insurance…” reads the traffic report.
Nsubuga explained that they are already working with security agencies in Uganda and Saudi Arabia to establish how Nakintu’s kidney was removed during the one year she spent in the hospital under treatment.
The medical report shows that Nakintu sustained external bruises, bruises of the lungs with a simple bloody air gathering inside, liver bruises, thrombosis of the right kidney artery, pelvic fractures and pelvic bone injuries. The report adds that Dhafer did not only cause serious injuries to Nakintu but also caused the death of his daughter Litin Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari and son Saud Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari.
The report from King Fahad hospital indicates that “Ms Nakintu was badly injured and bedridden for over a year. The Ugandan embassy in Saudi Arabia was also in the know of the condition, visited her and wrote several letters to various offices seeking support for Ms Nakintu,” Nsubuga said.
Ever since Mulago National Referral hospital and police confirmed that Nakintu’s right kidney had been removed, police working with other security agencies have so far arrested four proprietors and managers of Nile Treasure Gate Company. The suspects are still incarcerated at Jinja Road police station. Efforts to speak to one Kayongo, who has been speaking on behalf of Nakintu’s family were futile as he did not pick nor return calls from our reporter.
Police and immigration officials are trying to establish the circumstances, under which Nakintu’s kidney was removed if at all she was taken to the hospital following an accident.
Nsubuga explained that they are already working with security agencies in Uganda and Saudi Arabia to establish how Nakintu’s kidney was removed during the one year she spent in the hospital under treatment.
The medical report shows that Nakintu sustained external bruises, bruises of the lungs with a simple bloody air gathering inside, liver bruises, thrombosis of the right kidney artery, pelvic fractures and pelvic bone injuries. The report adds that Dhafer did not only cause serious injuries to Nakintu but also caused the death of his daughter Litin Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari and son Saud Saad Dhafer Mohamed Al-Asmari.
The report from King Fahad hospital indicates that “Ms Nakintu was badly injured and bedridden for over a year. The Ugandan embassy in Saudi Arabia was also in the know of the condition, visited her and wrote several letters to various offices seeking support for Ms Nakintu,” Nsubuga said.
Ever since Mulago National Referral hospital and police confirmed that Nakintu’s right kidney had been removed, police working with other security agencies have so far arrested four proprietors and managers of Nile Treasure Gate Company. The suspects are still incarcerated at Jinja Road police station. Efforts to speak to one Kayongo, who has been speaking on behalf of Nakintu’s family were futile as he did not pick nor return calls from our reporter.
Police and immigration officials are trying to establish the circumstances, under which Nakintu’s kidney was removed if at all she was taken to the hospital following an accident.
Agnes Igoye, the deputy coordinator National Anti-human Trafficking Department at the ministry of Internal Affairs, says Nile Treasure Gate Company conspired with medical officers in Saudi Arabia to make claims that Nakintu was involved in an accident and that her internal organs were intact.
Comments
It does not say the money is for compensation for a kidney , and it does not indicate that her right kidney was illegally harvested at the said hospital. Why is the observer indicate so in the article.
The snippet of the medical report with must have been part of the traffic accident report even indicates that Nakintu suffered kidney injury/damage due to the blood clot (thrombosis) hence the justification for removal as a life saving measure.
The issue of the alleged body organ harvesting crime is very senstive and needs to be covered carefully and accurately. Get consent from Nakintu to obtain the detailed medical report from this hospital. Even the victim may obtain this for you.
First of all it is now clear that Nakintu was one of the lucky survivors of a serious motor vehicle accident that had two fatalities. That Nakintu suffered multiple organ injuries which caused her to suffer right kidney ischemia (kidney tissue death) for lack of blood circulation in this kidney to to the said thrombosis (blood clot) in the right renal artery - the blood vessel responsible for perfusing this kidney.
Nakintu is alive today, her eventual condition notwithstanding, because that dead organ was surgically removed and all this information must be available in the discharge report which even the insurance settlement report quoted here seems to indicate. Now the questions.
The articles originator is certainly no expert in medical matters or motor vehicle indemnity settlements or even how they work in other countries. But due diligence should have been done to obtain the discharge report from the named hospital.
A hospital discharge report, among other things, details how the patient got to be, how she/he ended up at that facility, what was done, why it was done, the outcome of the care, and expectations on discharge. It is also basis for continuation of care even if the providers change.
The Observer too failed obtain this and may end up in legal jeopardy for this. As for the inference from those Ugandan police arrests, it can only be useful as a lesson on how not to do an investigation.
One is for liability determination by the insurance while the other details the nature of care that was given and or what should continue to be given even after the discharge. Both are statutory legal requirements in many countries.
Now they harvest their organs. And yet our corrupt killer regime keeps on exporting cheap labors to them. Shame on them.
So if you are using the logic of "corrupt killer regime", should we then conclude that countries that have instituions and have electiions every so often with peaceful transfers of power like Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, India, Philipines, Nigeria, TZ, Botswana, South Africa, etc, are also corrupt killer regimes?
Their citizens are way more than Ugandans in these Arab countries. Please confirm.
You sound like one of the beneficiaries of the modern's day slavery and human trafficking. I mention Uganda as my country for example.
By the way, define exactly what you called "peaceful transfers of power". Otherwise, it seems you have no clue what your are talking about.
For someone who uses big words like “corrupt killer regime”, surely you should know what peaceful transfer of power means and I also used the aforementioned countries as examples too to validate your first comment.
That doesn’t make me a child trafficker anymore than it makes you a shallow thinker since you can’t defend your comments.
As long as those countries I mentioned have thousands of times more of their citizens as “slaves” in these Arab countries, they’re corrupt killer regimes too, just like or more than Ug.