Kabaka marks 66th birthday, warns on Covid-19 jab myths

The Kabaka yesterday celebrated his 66th birthday at the Mengo palace. The occasion was graced by a few dignitaries, including the Vice President, Mr Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, the State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysestom Muyingo, Deputy Supreme Muft i Muhamood Kibaate, and Mengo ministers, among others.
The Kabaka arrived with the Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda and his family members at 12:20pm to the excitement of the waiting guests.

His celebrations were, however, interrupted by a downpour. While delivering the Kabaka’s message, the Buganda Kingdom prime minister, Mr Charles Peter Mayiga, warned Ugandans against misleading information circulating on social media platforms decampaigning the Covid-19 vaccine.
The Katikkiro said Ugandans must be armed with the right information about the vaccine to make informed decisions about their health.

Mr Mayiga said since the vaccination exercise started last month, the turn up has been low, attributing it to the myths about Covid -19 and its alleged side effects.
“I have seen several media platforms misinforming the public that the Covid-19 vaccine is dangerous to our health and Ugandans have bought into the negative mind-set and rejected the exercise. The information is misleading,” he said.

Mr Mayiga urged the public to embrace the vaccine to lead the fi ght against the pandemic.
“Political leaders should lead by example and be at the forefront on sensitising the public about the need to embrace the vaccination exercise,” he said.
Mr Mayiga appealed to Ugandans to take part in the exercise.

Mr Ssekandi, who represented government, lauded the Kabaka for advocating better health for all Ugandans, singling out his fight against HIV/Aids.
“We are glad that the Buganda Kingdom has done a lot through various initiatives to ensure that Ugandans are healthy and innovative, especially the youth,” he said.
Mr Ssekandi said the Kabaka had maintained a cordial working relationship with the central government, which has seen the return of some of the properties.

Ugandan health experts assured citizens that the OxfordAstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine being administered in the country is safe, despite more than a dozen European and other states suspending its use.

Vaccination
The Covid vaccination was rolled out on March 10, starting with frontline health workers upon the arrival of 964,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX and donation. Last month, Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director-general of Health Services, said the uptake of Covid-19 vaccine was low. “We have more than 900,000 doses of the vaccine, but to-date, only 110,000 people have been vaccinated,” Dr Mwebesa said. By yesterday, 189,409 people had been vaccinated.