Members of the Parliament of Uganda, sitting on the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts, have grilled the Executive Director of the Government Analytical Laboratory, Kefa Kushana, over the persistent backlog of DNA cases in the laboratory’s DNA division.
While reviewing the Auditor General of Uganda’s report for the 2024/2025 financial year, the committee, chaired by Gorreth Namugga, noted that the laboratory had 1,284 pending cases but managed to process only 498 during the period under review.
Lawmakers described this performance as inadequate, given the critical role of forensic evidence in criminal investigations and court proceedings.
The committee demanded an explanation from laboratory management for the slow processing of DNA samples, many of which are crucial in ongoing criminal cases.
In response, Kefa Kushana cited limited funding and understaffing as major challenges.
He explained that the DNA division receives between 400 and 500 new cases every week, creating significant pressure on the existing capacity.
Kushana further revealed that the laboratory receives only 1.9 billion shillings annually for the procurement of reagents required to process DNA samples, a budget he described as insufficient to address the growing caseload and eliminate the backlog effectively.
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