How Museveni, Nabbanja twisted arms of CAA authorities to start testing for COVID-19 at Airport immediately
President Museveni yesterday commissioned the Entebbe International Airport government testing laboratories alias Port Health, immediately kickstarting a mandatory testing exercise for travelers through the airport.
The facility constructed by the UPDF Brigade is a substitute to the initial arrangement between the government through the Ministry of Health and private laboratories where passengers would be tested.
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However, at the commissioning which happened at Entebbe Airport, Museveni learnt that the facility was not at 100 percent completion, lacking tiling in some areas, and specifically a canopy to shelter people from rain or sunshine.
As a result, the stakeholders had initially requested for at least a couple of months to complete repairs and then hand over the fully packaged facility.
Museveni however dismissed the move asking the authorities “how many guns did we have when we went to the bush?”
Museveni was jumping on a line by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja who had vehemently dismissed the idea of suspending testing until the facility is fully complete.
“Let us stop this Ping-Pong, now you want to build a canopy as if it will affect the testing? Where have the private laboratories been testing? Here at the beach and there is no canopy, then why do we badly need that canopy?” Nabbanja said.
“Let the work begin, it will not be raining every day, so the canopy can wait. This tiling works, you continue and finish them quickly but the work must start now,” Nabbanjja added.
When Museveni rose to speak, he started right there.
“Have you seen my fishermen?” he posed much to the laughter of those present.
Museveni said Nabbanja is walking in the correct line of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“I thank Nabbanja for taking the NRM line. The testing process should commence since the missing items in the facility are few. We shall complete as we proceed with the tests. If you have got the basics, move on. During our bush war struggle, we had 27 guns and we confronted an army that had 60,000 guns,” Museveni said.
Indeed, as Museveni left, he issued a directive to have the process commence immediately.
