The Buganda Kingdom's Minister for Health and Education, Choltilda Nakate Kikomeko, has called on traditional leaders to play a more active role in promoting disease prevention and public health awareness within their communities.
She made the appeal while closing a training workshop on epidemic preparedness and disease prevention for traditional leaders at Jevine Hotel in Ndeeba.
The workshop brought together cultural leaders from different kingdoms to explore how they can help reassure communities during disease outbreaks and encourage the adoption of preventive health measures. Although they are not medical professionals, participants were encouraged to use their influence to educate communities on preventing infectious diseases, including Ebola.
"Traditional leaders may not be health workers, but their voices carry great influence in their communities. We will continue working with cultural institutions to ensure that the people of Uganda remain healthy and well informed," Kikomeko said.
The Executive Director of the Nnaabagereka Development Foundation, Andrew Adrian Mukiibi, said Uganda continues to spend substantial resources responding to disease outbreaks, making prevention the most sustainable and cost-effective strategy.
"The government continues to spend enormous resources responding to disease outbreaks. This training is intended to strengthen prevention efforts by empowering traditional leaders to educate communities and reduce the number of people affected," Mukiibi said.
The training was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which underscored the importance of working through traditional leadership structures because of their close connection with communities and their ability to effectively communicate public health messages.
Traditional leaders from the Buganda Kingdom, Tooro Kingdom, Bunyoro Kingdom, and the Rwenzururu Kingdom participated in the workshop, reaffirming the growing role of cultural institutions in supporting public health campaigns and strengthening community preparedness during disease outbreaks.