Kamuli health officer arrested over refusing to immunise his children

A health worker at Kamuli General Hospital forcefully immunizes the second child of the arrested health worker, Tonny Ngobi, as the RDC Robert Mutemo holds the other one before the children's father was held for allegedly resisting the exercise on January 19, 2022.  PHOTO/SAM CALEB OPIO

What you need to know:

  • The accused Mr Tonny Ngobi said “his religion does not allow immunisation which is a way of inserting satanic devices for the devil to monitor and register it's followers.”
  • Authorities led by the RDC forcefully vaccinated his two children after he was arrested. 

Kamuli Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and also chairman of the area Covid taskforce Robert Mutemo has arrested a health worker and former health educator at Kamuli General Hospital over refusing to immunise his two children.

The RDC, accompanied by police responded to a call from the District Health Officer (DH0) in-charge of Immunisation, Mr Moses Lyagoba, who accused health officer Tonny Ngobi of “arrogantly rejecting vaccination for his children on religious grounds” at Bukapere, Northern Division in Kamuli Municipality on Wednesday.

“This man is a cult health worker and we are holding him for three counts- obstruction of government program hence putting lives of children at risk, secondly operating a dental clinic illegally and three inciting the public against a critical program under the guise of religion,” the RDC said as he ordered police on the charges to prefer against the health worker.

Mr Lyagoba noted that Mr Ngobi said “his religion does not believe or allow immunisation for it is a way of inserting satanic devices for the devil to register and monitor it's followers.”

During the arrest, authorities said they discovered that Mr Ngobi was illegally operating a dental clinic in premises that also served as a Church and music system store.

Records which Ngobi produced to back his operations of a dental clinic indicated that Thorny Medical Clinic was registered by a one Kayondo Charles Victor to operate in Kitintale, a Kampala suburb- and expired in 2014.

The RDC warned the Public to be vigilant regarding quack doctors and misleading churches saying “these are cults used to dupe the unsuspecting population.”

He cautioned that inciting the public against government programs was not only subversive but also equivalent to murder and poisoning. “This must be checked,” he echoed.

Mr Lyagoba observed that despite hitting above average, the district has moved on to mop up, hunt and reach every child in the immunisation bracket so as to fully kick out polio disease.

“It is through this exercise that our fellow officer who should be at the forefront was reported and arrested with the two innocent children,” he told this reporter.

According to him, the arrest is an eye-opener for the district to strengthen supervision to crackdown on fake clinic operators and mushrooming cults under the guise of religion.