Joseph Kintu and Sulaiman Balinya, have sued Marie Stopes Uganda to court after they used defective marie stopes Lifeguard condoms that burst during sex, leading to the contraction of HIV/Aids.
Marie Stopes UG is Uganda’s largest and most specialised sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation, providing a wide range of high quality, affordable, client-centered services.
Currently, Marie Stopes UG provides approximately 60% of all contraception in Uganda, and focuses on reaching the most under-served communities. These communities are predominantly young, living in poverty, and reside in hard-to-reach rural locations and urban slums.
In November 2019, Sarah Opendi told the parliament that the two batches of Lifeguard condoms [No. 1904205 and No. 19050105] where illegally rolled to the public and without following the prescribed procedure by Marie Stopes.
According to Joseph Kintu, in October, 2019, he bought a packet of Lifeguard condoms batch No 1904205 from a drug shop in Kapeeka, Nakaseke but the condom burst during sex, hence exposing him to unprotected sex. “Having tested HIV-negative, twice before in June and September 2019, the first plaintiff (Kintu) tested HIV-positive on the November 6, 2019,” reads part of the plaint.
Sulaiman Balinya also claimed that he contracted gonorrhoea after he had used Marie Stopes Lifeguard condoms.