The Ministry of Health-MOH has come out to condemn attacks on Dr, Diana Atwine Minister of health’s permanent secretary by a section of the public.
Dr, Atwine is on the spot for mismanaging funds meant for the Covid 19 response plan.
Irate Youths whose identities remain unknown have on Monday staged a protest demanding that Atwine lays down her tools and resigns from office.
The group dumped tiny caskets on Clement Hill Road leading to Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital — a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital with bold statements written on pink placards that were attached to them.
“Tukooye” meaning we are tired [of you] “Atwine’s reappointment must be canceled,” reads one of the placards.
”how many Ugandan Lives must be lost before you resign” .another read.
Atwinne was recently reappointed permanent secretary Ministry of Health in a reshuffle announced by President Museveni.
Now the Ministry of health has condemned the acts of the youth as malicious and is asking for security to hunt down the suspects.
Moh mouthpiece Emmanuel Ainebyonna says security enforcement teams need to track down the suspects and arrest them.
”We would like to condemn continued malicious attacks, on individual officials within the Moh by groups that have been manipulated and politically organized to defame. As MOH, we call upon security enforcement agencies to investigate persons and individuals who are behind these groups of people peddling lies and rumors. He said
Ainebyonna says decisions at the MOH are made collectively through various organs and committees and not individually.
These protests come as a section of the public is demanding transparency on the use of covid19 funds.
Recent findings by the government’s own Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) revealed that 74% of Ugandans believe the Covid-19 funds and relief aid will not reach them because it will be stolen by ‘powerful people’ popularly christened as the ‘mafia’.
The Ubos survey supported by the World Bank also found that three-quarters of the Ugandans do not trust that government’s distribution channels for Covid-19 relief will to get to them.
The people surveyed expressed fear that money for Covid-19 response will be stolen anyway and would never get to the intended beneficiaries.
Dr Atwine is among those accused and recommended for prosecution.
