MBARARA – Surgeons at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital have successfully removed about 50 sewing needles from the stomach of a toddler boy, who was forced to swallow them while under the watch of his stepmother.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The announcement was made by the hospital officials on the evening of Tuesday, May 12, 2026, following the miraculous two-stage surgery that had been successfully completed over two days.
The eight-hour testament to experience in the medical profession was performed by a team of six health workers, including three pediatric surgeons, an anesthetist, and two operating theater nurses.
The victim, identified as Samuel Akamumpa, 8, was subjected to the horrific abuse by his stepmother, Juliet Tushabomwe, 45, over a space of two weeks in their home district of Mitooma.
Tushabomwe allegedly forced the toddler Samuel to swallow 50 sewing needles and pieces of a broken pen between August 2025 and April 28, 2026.
Dr. Deus Twesigye, lead surgeon and acting director of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, explained that in the delicate first operation, it took six hours to remove 48 needles and Bic pen plastic from the boy’s abdomen.
He added that in the second, two-hour surgery, surgeons then extracted the remaining two needles, bringing the total to 50 needles removed without complication.
“In a delicate first operation lasting six hours, we successfully removed 48 needles and broken Bic pen plastic from the boy’s abdomen. Then, during a second two-hour surgery, we extracted the remaining two needles, bringing the total to 50 needles removed without a single complication,” stated Dr. Twesigye.
Meanwhile, the suspect, Juliet Tushabomwe, appeared before the Mitooma Chief Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, May 7, 2026, facing charges of aggravated torture.
She pleaded not guilty to allegations that between August 2025 and April 28, 2026, at Rweiibare village in Kasheshero Sub-county, she intentionally and unlawfully forced Samuel Akamumpa to ingest metallic objects and plastic fragments.
State Prosecutor Caroline Kesubi informed the court that investigations into the case are complete. Despite her not-guilty plea, the presiding magistrate, Gibson Muhangi, remanded the suspect to prison until June 14, 2026.
The Greater Bushenyi Police Commander, Godfrey Achiria, earlier confirmed that investigations were ongoing to determine the full extent of the abuse.
The suspect awaits her return to court for the next mention of the case, as young Samuel remains under specialized care at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, recovering from his physical wounds.
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