Uganda’s opposition bemoans handling of pandemic

The founder of Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change says a tougher lockdown is necessary to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

CAPE TOWN, June 14 (ANA) – Four-time presidential candidate and founder of Uganda’s main opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has criticised the country’s government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Appearing live on television on Monday morning, Dr Kifefe Kizza-Besigye said a “tougher” lockdown is necessary to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda but the government does not have “the capacity to maintain people”, according to NBS Television’s “Morning Breeze” show, where he appeared as a guest.

The former presidential candidate said the economic consequences of Uganda’s previous lockdown have not been rectified and pointed out that livelihoods were lost but expenses remained.

Last week Sunday, June 6, President Yoweri Museveni announced adjusted Covid-19 measures. These included the closure of inter-district public transport for 42 days effective from June 10. In addition, schools, places of worship and other social gatherings were suspended for 42 days, effective since June 6.

In his address, schools were highlighted as major transmission hot spots.

However, Besigye said he was bitter about the decision because “schools are organised institutions that can be managed”, according to NBS Television.

Besigye said he sees no difference between politics and the pandemic as “there’s nothing more political than health because health is a common good”.

Therefore, Uganda’s government needs to manage the pandemic effectively, Besigye said.

The East African country’s health ministry recorded the highest number of confirmed cases in a single day on June 8, with 1,438 people testing positive.

Uganda is in the midst of a second wave of Covid-19, according to the World Health Organization.

As of June 13, the WHO has recorded a cumulative total of 60,250 confirmed cases in Uganda, with 423 deaths.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher