Activists: "Covid-19 response in Uganda is a reflection of Museveni's personal views"

Museveni’s personal views in handling Covid-19 pandemic have created a toxic environment for the people of Uganda

Ugandan human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo, has slammed President Museveni for imposing his personal views in the handling of Covid-19 pandemic in the country which he said has created a very toxic atmosphere for the people of Uganda.

Opiyo made the remarks during a town hall meeting on the theme;"Beyond Covid-19: Adopting a human rights based approach in managing a public health crisis."

Opiyo noted that Covid-19 in Uganda combined with elections provided for a very toxic atmosphere in which there was complete disregard for basic human freedoms to safeguard public health.

"The measures that were adopted by the government of Uganda is really a reflection of personal views of the leader about health in so many respect because he [the president] imposes personal views based on his own perception of his own vulnerability hence the radical and far reaching measures that Uganda has taken to combat Covid-19,”he said.

He said Covid-19 became a political issue as opposed to the health issue faced by society and anybody who offered an alternative view has been threatened with arrest.

“Uganda is the only country that closed down schools for more than two years. These measures have affected the children and we do not know what will become of them in the future as a result. Think about people whose lives have been dislocated by the unreasonable extreme measures taken by the government to combat Covid-19," Opiyo said.

Bishop Wisdom Peter, a Ugandan Christian Minister and biotechnologist said that there is a way faith balances the society in that when people are depressed, they come for religious support.

“Africans are people of faith and did not die on the streets during the pandemic as was predicted by Bill Gates. The biggest population of Africa is religious/spiritual. A solution that does not put into consideration their sociological and spiritual wellbeing is put in question,”said Peter.

“Science gives a platform for open critique. Why is it that in this time the scientists that come out with opposing views to what is there are silenced?”

He noted that it is time the World Health Organisation (WHO) investigated the factors that made Africans less susceptible to the Covid-19 pandemic.