Compulsory vaccination  not best of our options

Some of the people being vaccinated at Mukono General Hospital. Photo | Jessica Sabano

What you need to know:

  • Last month, the Soroti Resident City Commissioner put up a notice in his office directing all people who want to access him to present evidence of vaccination. 

Starting Monday, October 18, unvaccinated people will not be allowed access to the National Medical Stores (NMS) premises. The agency says they are leading by example to comply with the President’s directive on full Covid-19 vaccination.

Last month, the Soroti Resident City Commissioner put up a notice in his office directing all people who want to access him to present evidence of vaccination. 

“Without the evidence, no entry please,” the notice read.
Whereas Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi says such measures are catered for under Article 23(1) (d) of the Constitution, some legal experts disagree with him.

Article 23(1) (d) stipulates that, “No person shall be deprived of personal liberty except in any of the following; (d) for the purpose of preventing the spread of an infectious or contagious disease.”

But constitutional lawyer Dan Wandera Ogaloo says the NMS directive can only stand if it had been among the Ministry of Health standard operating procedures, adding that anyone can challenge NMS in court because the directive is not respecting the right to access to public places and it is not constitutional.

Mandatory vaccination is a trend we are beginning to see worldwide as countries struggle to get past the Covid-19 disruptions. Many developed countries are passing laws requiring both public and corporate employees to be vaccinated before accessing workplaces, among other requirements. 

After more than 18 months of a Covid-19-induced lockdown, government is desperate to get the economy up and running. 

And much of this hope has been hinged on mass vaccination.
But with more than half of the 5.6 million doses of vaccines received through donations and direct procurement lying idle in the NMS stores, the easy way out for government to increase uptake is to make vaccination mandatory. 
Government, however, needs to address public concerns if they are to increase vaccination coverage. 

There are members of the public who, for instance, say the vaccines are not readily available at their health facilities. Vaccines need to be distributed to the remotest area so that those who want them can get vaccinated.

There are members of the public who say they cannot get the jab because they have no national ID. With the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) currently operating below capacity because two of its printing machines are broken, government should find a way for those without IDs to get vaccinated.

Above all, making vaccination mandatory must not undermine public trust. There are millions of Ugandans who are undecided and need to be educated that the Covid-19 jab is safe and for their own benefit.

Otherwise, we risk having a population with more ‘Nasser Road’ type or forged vaccination cards than those who actually got the jab.