Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has announced an extension of discounts on tourist rates including fees for park entrance, gorilla trekking, birding and chimpanzee tracking to end of June 2021.

The initial promotion started in December 2020 and was scheduled to end by the end of March 2021 but the authority has decided to extend it for further 3 months in order to continue promoting more visits to the country’s national parks.

According to officials from UWA, low tourism visits to the parks due to the global lockdown brought about by Covid-19 has also necessitated the extension.

“We make reference to our letter dated November 27, 2020 offering promotional prices on park entrance, birding and gorilla permits from December 2020 to date. We have reviewed the performance progress, so far and have agreed to extend this promotion from March to June 2021,” said Mr. Sam Mawanda, Executive Director of UWA.

According to Mr. Mawanda, the extended promotional rates include 50 percent discount on park entrance and birding fees to all national parks and wildlife reserves across the country.

Normal tourism rates/promotional rates in Uganda (up to June 30 2021)

Park entrance

Foreign non-residents – $40 (Shs146,000)
East African residents – Shs20,000 for adults, Shs3,000 for pupils and students, and Shs2,000 for wildlife clubs for category A national parks which include Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, Bwindi Impenetrable, Mganinga Gorilla, Kibale and Lake Mburo.

Gorilla trekking

Foreign non-residents – $700/$400
Foreign residents – $600/$300
East African citizens – Shs250,000/Shs150,000

Chimpanzee tracking

Foreign non-residents – $200/$150
Foreign residents – $150/$100
East African citizens – Shs150,000/Shs100,000

The new promotional rates for gorilla and chimpanzee fees will only apply to new purchases between April 1 and June 30 2021 but on reschedules of already deposited on permits according to Mr. Mawanda.

According to Mr. John Gesa Simplicious, the UWA spokesperson, the extension in promotional rates is meant to encourage domestic tourism as well as giving a chance to more local and international tourists to visit the parks.

Uganda’s most popular tourist attractions

Uganda is one of the best tourist destinations in Africa and the country is popularly referred to as The Pearl of Africa due to her beautiful natural sceneries, warm weather, rich and diverse wildlife, vegetation, fertile soils, among others.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park both in the southwest of the country is the leading tourist attraction in Uganda. These are Uganda’s two homes for the endangered mountain gorillas which are only found in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Other key tourist attractions in Uganda include game viewing, birding, chimpanzee tracking, mountain climbing, cultural and historical tours and water experiences like white-water rafting, kayaking, bungee jumping and boat cruises at the source of the Nile.

Transparency International, a global organization with the main objective of ensuring a corruption-free world has released its annual report of Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of 2020.

The CPI report is published each year ranking about 180 countries worldwide in terms of corruption levels in each individual country. Countries are ranked using score counts between 0 and 100 with zero being the lowest or worst score and 100 the highest or the best.

The 2020 CPI showed that most countries have made little or no progress in tackling corruption and majority of them continue to score below 50.

“This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide. While most countries have made little to no progress in tackling corruption in nearly a decade, more than two-thirds of countries score below 50. Our analysis shows corruption not only undermines the global health response to Covid-19, but contributes to a continuing crisis of democracy.” Reads part of the executive summary of the report.

Uganda’s poor performance continues

In 2019 CPI report, Uganda was ranked 137th out of 180 countries with a score of 28 which was way below the global average of 43. In 2020, Uganda dropped even further into 142nd position with a score of just 27. This indicates that the corruption problem in the country is just getting worse despite a number of institutions and measures put in place to control it.

How other East Africa countries performed

Rwanda is the only country in the region that scored above the global average of 43 in the 2020 CPI with a score count of 54 and in an impressive position 49th out of the 180 ranked countries. Tanzania is the second in the region though falling below the average with 38 in 94th position, Kenya follows with 31 and ranked 124th, Burundi scored 19 in 165th position, D.R Congo scored 18 in 170th position while South Sudan emerged as the worst country both globally and in the region with the lowest score of 12 at the bottom of the list together with Somalia.

Sub-Saharan countries continue to struggle with the corruption problem

The 2020 CPI report has yet again indicated that the Sub-Saharan region continues to be the worst in the world in managing the corruption problem. The region has the world’s lowest average score of 32 and this has been the case even in previous years showing no improvement at all.

However, there are a few outstanding countries in the region that have tried to curb corruption and managed to score above the global average. These include Seychelles 66, in 27th position, Botswana 60 (35th), Cape Verde 58 (41st) Rwanda 54 (49th), Sao Tome and Principe 47 (63rd) and Senegal 45 (67th).

Global performance

Internationally, the top 10 best performing countries in dealing with corruption include Denmark 88, New Zealand 88, Finland 85, Singapore 85, Sweden 85, Switzerland 85, Norway 84, Netherlands 82, Germany 80 and Luxemburg 80.

Covid-19 and corruption

The report also acknowledged the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had in escalating the corruption problem worldwide especially in the developing world.

“2020 proved to be one of the worst years in recent history, with the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating effects. The health and economic impact on individuals and communities worldwide has been catastrophic. More than 90 million people were infected and nearly 2 million people lost their lives around the world. As the past tumultuous year has shown, Covid-19 is not just a health and economic crisis, but a corruption crisis as well, with countless lives lost due to the insidious of corruption undermining a fair and equitable global response. Reports of corruption during Covid-19 have reverberated across the globe.” Read part of the report.

Recommendations

Transparency International suggested a few recommendations to help countries curb the corruption problem which include the following;

• Strengthen oversight institutions
• Ensure open and transparent contracting
• Defend democracy, promote civic space
• Publish relevant data, guarantee access

There is an ongoing opportunity for tourists to enjoy the best of Uganda’s tourist attractions at reduced prices including both park entrance fees for game viewing and gorilla permits for gorilla trekking, an offer which applies for both local and international tourists until March 31 2021.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) announced these tourism discounts as an offer for the festive season to encourage both and local and international tourists to visit the national parks. The offer has been running since December 1, 2020 and will end on March 31, 2021.

However, since the discounts are running amidst the ongoing struggle to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, UWA has called upon everyone intending to benefit to strictly observe the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.

UWA discounts

Game viewing and birding

• 50% discount on park entrance fee for Lake Mburo NP, Queen Elizabeth NP, Kidepo Valley NP, Murchison Falls NP, Semuliki NP, Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve, Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve, and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.
• 50% discount on birding fees

Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking

• East African citizen gorilla trekking permit reduced from UGX 250,000 to UGX 150,000
• Foreign resident gorilla trekking permit reduced from USD 600 to USD 300
• Foreign non-resident gorilla trekking permit reduced from USD 700 to USD 400
• East African resident chimpanzee tracking permit reduced from UGX 150,000 to UGX 100,000
• Foreign resident chimpanzee tracking permit reduced from USD 150 to USD 100
• Foreign non-resident chimpanzee tracking permit reduced from USD 200 to USD 150

Why you should exploit this opportunity

In addition to enjoying some of the best wildlife experiences in the world at half the price of the normal cost, the offer also presents an opportunity to see some of the rare and breathtaking species in the wild like the endangered mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, endemic birds, and big game like the tree-climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla trekking has been described by some past trekkers as one of the best wildlife experiences in the world with gorillas sharing about 98% of the human DNA. Bwindi is one of the only two locations in the world where the endangered mountain gorilla can be found and the park protects the highest population of these gentle giants (about 450 individuals). There are about 15 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi which are visited daily with each family visited by a group of not more than 8 trekkers per day according to conservation regulations. The current global population of mountain gorillas is about 1,063 individuals according to the gorilla census of 2018. The rest of their population is found within the Virunga Mountains which straddle the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo where they are also protected in 3 different national parks including Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

Game viewing and birding

When it comes to game viewing, Uganda has an endless list of national parks from which you can choose where you want to and enjoy the scintillating experience with amazing game species. Some of the Uganda’s best game viewing parks include Murchison Falls NP, Queen Elizabeth NP and Kidepo Valley NP. Big game species like lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, zebra, giraffe, among others are all available in huge numbers in these parks for every visitor to see. Bird viewing is also done in these parks with over 1000 bird species available including Rift Valley endemics.

Chimpanzee tracking

Uganda is also known to be one of the best chimpanzee tracking destinations in the world with Kibale Forest National Park, a home to majority chimps in the country referred to as the primates’ capital of the world with 13 species available. Other places where you can track chimpanzees in Uganda include Queen Elizabeth National Park at Kalinzu and Kyambura, Murchison Falls National Park, and at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctually on Lake Victoria near the airport where they live in captivity. Like gorillas, chimpanzees also share about 98% of the human DNA and this is why they are regarded as our cousins.

Click here to book your Uganda safari to benefit from these discounts as you explore the best wildlife experiences the Pearl of Africa has got to offer.

Uganda’s 2021 general elections are just two weeks away as the country prepares to elect new leaders including president, MPs and local leaders. Both presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled on January 14 while votes for other posts will be cast in the following few weeks.

However, the election process hasn’t been the best Ugandans would hope for with a lot involved including interruptions caused by Covid-19 while the high handedness of the police and other security organs in dealing with presidential candidates and their supporters has also caused more anguish.

Turbulent campaigns

Scuffles between security and politicians especially those on the opposition side started right from the nomination day in early November when presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine was arrested right from the nomination grounds after his nomination. Since then, it has been running battles between the police and several opposition candidates plus their supporters. The police claim that they are trying to enforce guidelines issued to the candidates by the ministry of health to control the spread of Covid-19 by not holding mass rallies. However, the opposition also claim that the government is just using the so-called guidelines to curtail them from looking for support while at the same time leaving president Museveni who is the incumbent to campaign freely. Several candidates including Mr. Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Patrick Amuriat of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) have since been arrested, detained, charged and later released on bail for flouting the Covid-19 guidelines according to the police. The arrest of Mr. Kyagulanyi on November 18 while on his campaign trail in the eastern district of Luuka sparked violent protests across the country by his supporters which saw the police and the army respond by firing live bullets among people leaving over 60 people dead and hundreds nursing serious injuries according to official reports.

Suspension of campaigns in key districts

Following the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Uganda, the Electoral Commission (EC) moved to suspend all political campaigns in some districts which they termed as high-risk areas. These included the capital Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Jinja, among others and these are the same districts that have got the highest number of voters. This sparked a lot of criticism especially from the opposition who accused the EC for conniving with president Museveni to abolish campaigns in these districts which are opposition strongholds fearing to see the huge support people have for them.

Harassment of journalists on presidential campaign trails

Another ugly component of these campaigns has been the continued harassment of journalists who are following presidential candidates especially those on the opposition by the security operatives. These have been beaten up, arrested and their equipment destroyed or confiscated by security officials. The recent incident saw the cameraman of Gheto Media which covers Kyagulanyi’s campaign trail Mr Ashraf Kasirye hit on the head by teargas canister and is currently admitted in the hospital after sustaining serious injuries on the head. The continued harassment of journalists forced them to walk out on security officials last week during a briefing in protesting against this injustice.

Mysterious killings and abductions

As the campaigns continue, several people especially opposition candidates vying for parliamentary and their prominent supporters have been abducted and detained in unknown areas. Others have been killed including Kyagulanyi’s former bodyguard one Frank who was runover by a police car while on Kyagulanyi’s campaign last week. The latest unfortunate incident saw Uganda’s former professional boxer Zebra Ssenyange gunned down by unknown assailants who attacked him from his home in the middle of the night.

All the chaos, violence, police brutality and the killings have left Ugandans with more questions than answers regarding what they are headed for as the polling date draws closer hence causing panic among the population.

On Wednesday the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to approve the coronavirus vaccine, the Pfizer/BioNTech which is made in the United States and Belgium.

The approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness paves way for mass vaccination which is expected to beginning from the UK in a few days’ time.

According to the BBC, the first dozes of the vaccine will be administered to special interest groups including elderly people, those in care homes and health workers.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has taken only 10 months to be approved after going through the same steps which usually take almost a decade becoming the fastest vaccine to go from concept to reality.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnstone said “It’s the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again,” after learning of the vaccine’s approval.

The priority list

According to the current guidance of the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunizations, care home residents and staff, elderly people over 80 years, health and social care workers will be vaccinated first. Others likely to follow in a mass immunization exercise as more stocks become available next year include those over 50 and young people with pre-existing conditions.

Dosage

Two injections of the vaccine are given, 21 days apart and the second dose works as an immunity booster.

What the vaccine means for Africa

If there is any part of the world that needed the Covid-19 vaccine, it should be Africa given the impact the pandemic has had on both health and economy on the continent and its vulnerability. So far, the continent has registered over 2.2 million Covid-19 cases and over 52,000 deaths according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University. Being the poorest continent on the planet, Covid-19 and its adverse effects is the last thing Africa needed to happen to it. With the approval of the first vaccine for the pandemic, the hopes of African people to overcome this huge sooner than later challenge will go high.

What does it mean for Uganda?

With over 21,000 cases and over 200 deaths of Covid-19 registered so far in Uganda, the country will warmly welcome the news of the approval of the first vaccine. The country’s economy has been hit hard by the pandemic with tourism, Uganda’s highest foreign exchanger the most affected due to restrictions in international travel and this means loss of huge amounts revenue for the country. Now the country is optimistic that popular safaris like gorilla trekking to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National National Park which fetches the highest tourism revenue may soon boom again.

It’s now a countdown of months as Ugandans prepare to go to polls to vote their leaders including president and members of parliament in February 2021.

The race to the polls is getting hotter by day as several candidates with their supporters continue to clash with their opponents for different positions. With the nomination for MPs and local government candidates complete, it’s now a scramble among them to win over more voters in a complicated environment of virtual campaigns. The nominations for presidential candidates are scheduled on November 2 and 3 with over 80 individuals having already expressed interest in the top most office in the country.

However, as the whole country now looks charged up already for these hotly contested elections, there are many questions that are running through the minds of Ugandans regarding the exercise.

Will the chaos and violence seen in party primaries be transferred into the general elections?

This is one of the most worrying factors among the people who have already witnessed the chaos and violence that marred party primaries particularly those of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) which led to loss of lives of some people. There is a common assumption that if people were so desperate to the extent of killing one another just for the sake of getting a party ticket, it may just get worse during the national elections when candidates are competing to occupy offices.

What will be the effect of independent candidates on the performance of party candidates?

One of the major results of party primary elections was the emergence of a huge number of independent candidates most of whom are those who were defeated in their parties during the primary elections. Many of these were aggrieved after the results and they claimed cheating, unfairness as some of the factors that made them to lose. They were efforts from their parties to talk to them and convince them not to stand as independents but support the flag bearers though they were fruitless. After last week nomination of parliamentary candidates, the Electoral Commission reported that most of the nominated candidates were independents. This has caused a big panic among political parties since many of these are seen as equally strong or even stronger than the endorsed flag bearers something which may deny them victory in the general elections.

Will candidates afford virtual campaigns

Due to the need to control the spread of Covid-19, the Electoral Commission declared that all political campaigns will be conducted using internet, social media and media channels to control gathering of the masses. But many candidates have already complained about the huge cost of these avenues claiming that they can’t afford them and that that many of their supporters don’t have either TV or radio and they can’t also afford to buy data for internet. Despite the outcry, the Electoral Commission has refused to compromise on its guidelines and maintains that candidates should conduct their campaigns virtually. Some opposition candidates have also claimed that they have been denied airspace since most of the TV channels and radios are owned by members of the ruling NRM or their supporters and therefore they cannot allow opposition candidates to air their views using their platforms.

Will police stop suffocating opposition politicians?

The Uganda Police has been accused of sidelining with the ruling NRM against opposition political parties. This has been evident in the buildup to the general elections with police intervening and forcefully stopping activities organized by opposition parties. Teargas, bullets and rubber bullets have always been used to disperse supporters of opposition supporters and their leaders with the police claiming that it is enforcing measures to control the spread of Covid-19. However, members of the opposition are claiming that the police do this intentionally to cripple their programs while they take no action against those of NRM whose supporters were always seen gathering in large numbers with no police intervention during the party primary elections. Recently, the police, army and military invaded the offices of the National Unity Platform (NUP) at Kamwokya in Kampala and confiscated several items used by party members including uniforms claiming that they are illegally used. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the party president and presidential flag bearer claimed that this was an act to intimidate his supporters and it was also widely condemned by many other politicians.

Will presidential candidates be presented a leveled ground to campaign?

This is still in big doubt having already witnessed some of presidential aspirants like Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine being denied access to radio stations to communicate to his supporters. On one occasion, Kyagulanyi was prevented entering the premises of a radio station in Mbale, eastern Uganda with which he had planned a talk show and had paid for the program already. Him and his supporters were subsequently teargassed as he was immediately driven away back to his home in Kampala. After witnessing this, supporters of opposition candidates claim that their members are likely to be denied a levelled ground to campaign as President Museveni will be traversing the whole country talking on radios and TVs without any limitation.

Will the country witness the first ever peaceful transfer of power?

This is a dream of many Ugandans whose country has never experienced a peaceful transfer of power from one president to another the gaining of independence in 1962. Historically, presidential elections in Uganda have been followed by violence, rebellions and coups and the country awaits to see what will happen this time round. Some Ugandans are optimistic that maybe this is going to be the first tie in the country’s history to have a peaceful transfer of power while others are skeptical that this is unlikely to happen given the history, greed for power and lack of free and fair elections.

Will the Electoral Commission be able to organize a free and fair election?

Over the years, especially following the declaration of election results the Electoral Commission has been accused of lacking the credibility to organize a free and fair elections. All Uganda’s presidential previous presidential election results have been contested in courts of law while others led to the outbreak of rebellions like the one in 1980 which led to the bush war that brought president Museveni into power in 1986. Even today, several candidates and their supporters are already threatening to do something if they feel that elections were not free and fair and it remains to be seen what exactly will happen in February next year.

Joshua Cheptegei has set a new world record after breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 15-year 10,000m record in Valencia, Spain yesterday.

Cheptegei finished with 26 minutes 11.00 seconds beating Bekele’s record of 26 minutes 17.53 seconds which he set in 2005 and went on to become the world’s longest standing men’s 10,000m record. Cheptegei was taking part in NN Valencia World Record Day, a one-off event in Spain.

This success became Cheptegei’s fourth world record in just 10 months after breaking the 5km and 10km road records in February and December respectively. He also broke another Bekele record at the Monaco Diamond League in August when he ended his 16-year-old mark in the 5,000m by two seconds.

Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey also broke the women’s 5,000m world record with 14 minutes 6.62 seconds beating Tirunesh Dibaba’s record of 14 minutes 11.15 seconds which she had set in 2008. Gidey had won silver in 10,000m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

“I’m happy, this has been a long-time dream. It is very big for me.” She said.

Both Cheptegei and Gidey had pacemakers as they took part in The World Record Day organized at Valencia’s Turia stadium where 400 people were present.

Finally tour operators and lovers of Uganda safaris like gorilla trekking, game viewing, bird watching and adventurous encounters can celebrate after it was officially announced that Entebbe International Airport and borders will soon be reopened for all travelers.

After more than 6 months under lockdown, the Uganda government has finally announced that Entebbe International Airport and all borders will officially be reopened on October 1 for tourists and other travelers.

This was announced by President Museveni during his public address on Sunday on the progress the country has made in the fight against the spread of Covid-19.

Regarding the reopening of the airport and borders, the president said: “The international airport and land borders will now be opened for tourists, coming in ad going out, provided they tested negative 72 hours before arrival in Uganda and provided the tour operators ensure that the tourists do not mix with the Ugandans.”

The President added: “How will this be done? The tourist will be driven straight from the airport to their destinations or designated transit hotels that are set aside for that purpose. Business delegations should also be handled in the same way by the local partners. The returning Ugandans, who have negative PCR results, will be allowed to go home. The Ministry of Health will only get their addresses for follow up.”

According to the state minister for Information and Communication Technology, Mr. Peter Ogwang, emphasis will be put on travelers presenting certificates of negative test results for Covid-19, which must be done 72 hours before arriving in Uganda.

The news of the reopening of the airport and borders was warmly welcomed by those who work in the tourism industry whose business has greatly been affected during the 6 months of lockdown. The sector has been counting losses since the airport was closed with many people employed in the industry losing jobs due to lack of income. Tourism stakeholders in Uganda are now optimistic that the reopening of the airport will encourage potential tourists to start booking and coming for safaris in Uganda hence helping to revamp the industry.

The lockdown did not only affect people but also animals including the endangered mountain gorillas especially those in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. in June, it was reported that famous silverback “Rafiki” was killed by poachers who had entered the park to hunt small wild animals. This unfortunate incident was partly blamed on the lockdown that had been imposed which limited the patrolling of the animals hence exposing them to poachers. The killers were arrested and charged in courts of law. On the positive side however, about 6 baby gorillas were born in Uganda during lockdown, 5 in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park while the other was born in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park adding to the growing population of mountain gorillas.

With the resumption of tourism activity in Uganda, travelers will be eager to once again embark on their favorite experiences like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, game viewing, bird watching, adventures, cultural and historical tours, among others. Some of Uganda’s most popular species among tourists include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, big game like lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and birds. Non wildlife tourist attractions in Uganda include adventurous encounters like white-water rafting, mountain climbing, kayaking and cultural tours.

How can a country in a ripe political period of elections effectively control the spread of Covid-19 while at the same time fulfilling its political demands? I believe this is the right question to ask in countries that find themselves in the same situation like Uganda today.

What a conflict of interests here! But can we find an ideal situation for these two essentials to thrive simultaneously? I mean the people to fulfill their constitutional right and duty of electing their leaders and at the same time protect their lives from Covid-19. Well, some countries on the continent like Burundi, Malawi and Mali have shown us that it is possible to hold elections amidst the struggle to control the spread of the pandemic though we cannot tell the extent at which the exercise contributed to the spread of Covid-19 in these countries in the aftermath of the elections.

In Uganda, this discussion is going on fast and thick with a variety of divisive opinions especially driven by different political players from different political groups. Here are some of the major discussion points regarding politics and Covid-19 in Uganda.

Calls for suspension of elections

Following the confirmation of the first Covid-19 case in Uganda in late March, several politicians especially those in the opposition called upon the Electoral Commission (EC) to suspend elections so the country may focus on fighting the new enemy. Others called upon the government to declare a state of emergency in order to be in the best position spearhead the fight against the spread of the pandemic. All these calls were subsequently ignored by both the EC and the government who went ahead to release the election roadmap and measures to control the spread of the pandemic respectively.

Introduction of digital campaigns

After ignoring the calls to suspend elections, the EC went on to declare that campaigns for the forth-coming elections will be conducted virtually using radio, TV and internet in order to limit contact to curb the spread of the virus. This move left many politicians disgruntled claiming that they will not be able to reach all their voters via this avenue since many of them don’t even own a radio or TV set while a few have access to the internet.

Dispersing political meetings

After the declaration of virtual campaigns, all politicians were warned by the EC to avoid holding political which may bring people together and end up aiding the spread of Covid-19. With this declaration, the Police took it upon themselves and started dispersing any such meetings though it left opposition politicians more disgruntled claiming that the Police only targets their meetings leaving those of NRM, the ruling party to go on. This has been advanced to the level of stopping some opposition leaders from even being hosted on radios and TVs with the police claiming that this will attract their supporters to gather outside hence promoting the spread of the virus. On several occasions police has been seen using tear gas and firing bullets to disperse these supports and all this has been done in the name of controlling the spread of the virus, something which has caused a very big controversy. Indeed, in August one of the presidential aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine took to court senior police officials for illegally stopping him from talking on a radio program in Mbale yet he had already paid for the service.

The saga of NRM primary elections

While opposition politicians have been accusing police of being partial in their operations, the recent saga involving the NRM party primary elections did little to help the situation. The uninterrupted huge gatherings and congregations of NRM supporters during campaigns and polls showed that the government’s covid-19 control guidelines including social distancing remain in theory. Secondly, it also indicated that the police is only bothered when opposition supporters meet as if Covid-19 does not spread among NRM supporters. This has continued to divide opinions regarding whether the government is really serious in its fight against Covid-19. Some opposition politicians have gone on to state that the government falsely used the fight against Covid-19 to intentionally deny them a chance to meet, mobilize and talk to their supporters.

Opposition vows to abuse the measures

After witnessing their NRM counterparts acting contrary to the guidelines of controlling the spread of Covid-19 and the police doing very little to let them observe the measures, opposition politicians have also vowed to do the same. Whether the police will let them do this freely like they did to the NRM members, it remains to be seen. However, one may be left wondering where this leaves the country’s struggle against the spread of the pandemic. It should be noted that Uganda has so far registered over 3,600 cases of Covid-19 and 41 deaths while over 1,600 have recovered according to the Ministry of Health.