Uganda’s Parliament tore into officials from the Uganda Aids Commission this week after they admitted they couldn’t deliver life-saving HIV drugs because they didn’t have money for fuel. The shocking revelation came during a tense hearing where lawmakers demanded answers about why anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) aren’t reaching patients across the country.

The Commission’s top boss, Dr Nelson Musoba, didn’t even show up to explain the failures, angering members of Parliament’s accountability committee. After heated debate about whether to proceed without him, lawmakers grilled the present officials over the Auditor General’s report showing shocking gaps in the Commission’s work.

“Tell us how a national health agency runs out of money for fuel to deliver medicines that keep people alive,” demanded one furious MP. The officials had no good answer, only admitting they lacked transport funds – an excuse that made lawmakers slam their desks in frustration.

The numbers tell a grim story. The Commission was supposed to collect 45 million shillings in fees last year but only managed 700,000 shillings – less than 2% of what they needed. Meanwhile, HIV patients across Uganda report missing their treatments as drugs sit unused in warehouses.

“We have enough ARV drugs in stock,” one official insisted during the hearing. But MPs shot back that medicines in storage don’t help sick people. “What good are drugs in Kampala to a mother in Kotido who needs them today?” asked a committee member from northern Uganda.

This isn’t just about missed deliveries – it exposes Uganda’s broken medicine supply chain. The Aids Commission coordinates the national HIV response, working with health centers across the country. When it fails, vulnerable people pay the price. Over 1.4 million Ugandans live with HIV, and about 1.2 million rely on ARVs to stay healthy. Missing doses can lead to drug resistance, meaning the medicines stop working.

The Commission was created in 1992 to lead Uganda’s fight against AIDS. It reports directly to the President’s Office and works with health workers, charities and international donors. Its job includes planning HIV programs, tracking the disease’s spread, and making sure treatment reaches everyone who needs it.

But Wednesday’s hearing showed an agency in crisis. Lawmakers discovered the Commission hasn’t been properly tracking how HIV funds are spent. Some programs meant to educate young people about HIV prevention haven’t been monitored at all. Other projects show no evidence they ever happened, despite money being spent.

“Where is the accountability?” demanded the committee chair. “We’re talking about medicines that determine whether people live or die.”

The fuel shortage excuse particularly angered MPs because Uganda recently received millions of dollars from international donors specifically for HIV programs. The Global Fund, a major health financier, gave Uganda $217 million last year for AIDS, TB and malaria programs. The United States government spends over $400 million annually on Uganda’s HIV response through PEPFAR.

“How can we face our development partners when we can’t even deliver the drugs they paid for?” asked one lawmaker. The question hung in the air as officials shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Patients’ rights groups say the problems go deeper than fuel shortages. Health centers often run out of ARVs for weeks at a time. Some make patients bring their own water bottles to collect the medicines. Others turn people away completely.

Sarah, a 34-year-old mother living with HIV in Wakiso district, told how she missed her doses last month when her clinic ran out. “They said the drugs were in Kampala but hadn’t been brought,” she said. “I felt so weak I couldn’t work for two weeks.”

The committee gave the Commission two weeks to present a plan to fix the delivery system. Lawmakers warned they would take “serious action” if improvements don’t happen fast. Possible next steps could include cutting the Commission’s budget or firing top officials.

As the hearing ended, one MP summarized the frustration many Ugandans feel: “We’re failing the very people we swore to protect. HIV is not waiting – why are we?”

With lives hanging in the balance, Uganda’s leaders now face urgent questions about why a country that once led Africa’s HIV response now struggles to deliver basic medicines. The clock is ticking for the Aids Commission to prove it can do its most important job – getting treatment to those who need it, when they need it.

For millions of Ugandans living with HIV, this isn’t about politics or budgets. It’s about survival. And with each day that passes without reliable medicine deliveries, that survival becomes less certain. The Parliament’s tough questions this week made clear: excuses won’t save lives. Only action will.