President Kaguta Museveni has blamed the 3,600 COVID-19 deaths Uganda registered on the indiscipline of the opposition politicians during the campaigns for the 2021 General Elections.
Uganda held its general elections in a scientific nature, however, some political actors held rallies and gathered crowds, despite the COVID-19 guidelines forbidding the same.
During his Nation Address on the state of the economy last night, President Museveni said the Covid-19 death toll is 3,600 victims out of a total of 164,153 infections.
“It was the indiscipline of the opposition during the elections that pushed the figures to the present 3,600. On account of the strictness, taking the Biblical narrow-path, Uganda, up to now, has had two waves of the coronavirus pandemic while other countries have had 3 and even 4 waves,” he said.
“In Luganda, we say: “Akutwaala ekilo, omusiima bukedde” (the one who successfully guides you in the night, you thank him in the morning for the good work). Now that we are emerging from the consecutive nights of problems (Locusts, rising waters of the Lakes, terrorism, cattle-rustling, covid-19, etc.), it is time to both thank the NRM and reconfirm its credentials as a no-nonsense problem solver.”
He said the struggle between the two lines; the revolutionary side (NRM side) pointed out that what was primary was to avoid death (massive death – ekyorezo), all other problems notwithstanding and The reactionary line was to emphasize the loss of jobs, loss of businesses, loss of school time, pregnancies of young girls, adding, “Our line was that ebizibu (problems) are not equal (comparable) to death (okufa).”
He said death is irreversible while problems are reversible at the appropriate time.
“What were the results of the struggle between the two lines? The extreme example of the line of ebizibu (problems) are equal to death (okufa), was the European Country of Sweden. Up to now, they have a total of 18,941 people dead from the small population of 10.2 million people. Other countries were oscillating between the two lines,” he said.
Museveni noted that the Covid-19 pandemic was the most challenging because, after a quick but careful analysis, they saw that the pandemic could indeed be handled but with massive lockdowns, starting with the unprecedented sending home, prematurely, of the 15 million grandchildren (the learners – pupils, students) in the Primary Schools, the Secondary Schools, the tertiary Institutions and Universities and keeping them there for one and a half years.
“I do not think that this figure included the pre-primary pupils. No sooner had the pandemic confronted us, than the “struggle between the two lines”, to use Mao Tse Tung’s words, started,” he said.