Uganda: Govt suspends Kyankwanzi Cabinet retreat over Ebola

The government has suspended the planned retreat for leaders in Kyankwanzi that should have kicked off today as Ebola outbreak continues to hit Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kassanda, Kagadi and Bunyangabu districts. Two cases reported in Kampala were from Mubende. The Cabinet and other senior government officials were expected to camp at Kyankwanzi for the retreat that President Museveni was expected to open. While addressing the nation, the President on Saturday night said the retreat was suspended after the advice of the Ministry of Health against hosting a large population. “We were going to have a Cabinet retreat, government retreat actually in Kyankwanzi, but the Ministry of Health people met and said no, don’t expose people. Bringing so many people together because we were going to have ministers and other people and it was going to be a big room. “They said if there is going to be even a single case, it means that we are going to put the whole government under quarantine, because it would have been that there was a case of Ebola and there were 400 ministers, civil servants and others, stay here in Kyankwanzi what would happen to the government? So, I think although I was looking forward to that retreat which I wanted so much, but now I have decided to postpone that retreat,” he said. Ms Milly Babalanda, the Minister of Presidency, yesterday said a new date will be communicated at a later time. Government has already placed the districts of Mubende and Kassanda under lockdown, barring movement to and out of the districts. Museveni said if not adequately controlled, Ebola may spread beyond Uganda which would pose a huge challenge to control. He, however, said the country has what it takes to contain the deadly virus. “Countrymen and countrywomen, regarding the Ebola outbreak, our country has the capacity to control this epidemic. The government is doing everything possible to ensure your safety. As I indicated in my address, a confirmed case was admitted at Kiruddu Hospital from Mubende and died,” he said. He said 24 contacts are under quarantine and said there is no confirmed case of Ebola in Kampala as of now. Museveni puts Kampala on high alert President Museveni has put Kampala City on high alert following the detection of two Ebola cases who escaped from Mubende. Of the two patients, one of them, a male, died in Kiruddu Hospital last week. The other, the man’s wife, tested positive in Kitebi Health Centre IV in Kampala and has been isolated in Entebbe with her baby. In his statement, which Monitor saw last Saturday, the President, in addition to the lockdown on Mubende and Kassanda to prevent the spread of the disease, said the Ebola response team should cover the entire Kampala Metropolitan area. “While the two cases that tested positive came from Mubende District and are regarded as Mubende cases, because of the presence of contacts of these two cases and the risks of infection, I have directed a full mobilisation of Kampala City into a response mode,” he said in the statement. Ebola Virus Disease has already been confirmed in at least five districts, infecting 58 and killing 19, according to the statistics from the Health Ministry. Up to 20 people have also recovered from the disease. According to the Health ministry, at least 42 contacts of the cases in Kampala have been listed and 10 quarantined. The epidemic is coming at a time when the country is struggling to recover from the effects of Covid-19 on the economy, where the tourism sector was one of the most affected. Many tourists were reported to have cancelled their flights for fear of contracting the disease. Mr Museveni said they decided to impose the lockdown in the two districts because the people in the Ebola epicentre were not playing their role in preventing the spread of the disease. “This is a very violent disease once it gets into your body but it is very easy to avoid. But there are some people who cannot be advised. There are some people [Ebola patients] who were difficult, lying to us, hijacking dead bodies and moving from district to district, including coming to Kampala. This movement and deceit has not changed and this increases the risk of spreading the disease to other parts of the country,” the President said. He added: “Given the gravity of the problem and to prevent further spread and, protect lives and livelihoods, Government is taking extra measures that require action from all of us. All these measures shall start with immediate effect and will last 21 days because the incubation period for Ebola is up to 21 days.”

The government has suspended the planned retreat for leaders in Kyankwanzi that should have kicked off today as Ebola outbreak continues to hit Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kassanda, Kagadi and Bunyangabu districts. Two cases reported in Kampala were from Mubende. The Cabinet and other senior government officials were expected to camp at Kyankwanzi for the retreat that President Museveni was expected to open. While addressing the nation, the President on Saturday night said the retreat was suspended after the advice of the Ministry of Health against hosting a large population. “We were going to have a Cabinet retreat, government retreat actually in Kyankwanzi, but the Ministry of Health people met and said no, don’t expose people. Bringing so many people together because we were going to have ministers and other people and it was going to be a big room. “They said if there is going to be even a single case, it means that we are going to put the whole government under quarantine, because it would have been that there was a case of Ebola and there were 400 ministers, civil servants and others, stay here in Kyankwanzi what would happen to the government? So, I think although I was looking forward to that retreat which I wanted so much, but now I have decided to postpone that retreat,” he said. Ms Milly Babalanda, the Minister of Presidency, yesterday said a new date will be communicated at a later time. Government has already placed the districts of Mubende and Kassanda under lockdown, barring movement to and out of the districts. Museveni said if not adequately controlled, Ebola may spread beyond Uganda which would pose a huge challenge to control. He, however, said the country has what it takes to contain the deadly virus. “Countrymen and countrywomen, regarding the Ebola outbreak, our country has the capacity to control this epidemic. The government is doing everything possible to ensure your safety. As I indicated in my address, a confirmed case was admitted at Kiruddu Hospital from Mubende and died,” he said. He said 24 contacts are under quarantine and said there is no confirmed case of Ebola in Kampala as of now. Museveni puts Kampala on high alert President Museveni has put Kampala City on high alert following the detection of two Ebola cases who escaped from Mubende. Of the two patients, one of them, a male, died in Kiruddu Hospital last week. The other, the man’s wife, tested positive in Kitebi Health Centre IV in Kampala and has been isolated in Entebbe with her baby. In his statement, which Monitor saw last Saturday, the President, in addition to the lockdown on Mubende and Kassanda to prevent the spread of the disease, said the Ebola response team should cover the entire Kampala Metropolitan area. “While the two cases that tested positive came from Mubende District and are regarded as Mubende cases, because of the presence of contacts of these two cases and the risks of infection, I have directed a full mobilisation of Kampala City into a response mode,” he said in the statement. Ebola Virus Disease has already been confirmed in at least five districts, infecting 58 and killing 19, according to the statistics from the Health Ministry. Up to 20 people have also recovered from the disease. According to the Health ministry, at least 42 contacts of the cases in Kampala have been listed and 10 quarantined. The epidemic is coming at a time when the country is struggling to recover from the effects of Covid-19 on the economy, where the tourism sector was one of the most affected. Many tourists were reported to have cancelled their flights for fear of contracting the disease. Mr Museveni said they decided to impose the lockdown in the two districts because the people in the Ebola epicentre were not playing their role in preventing the spread of the disease. “This is a very violent disease once it gets into your body but it is very easy to avoid. But there are some people who cannot be advised. There are some people [Ebola patients] who were difficult, lying to us, hijacking dead bodies and moving from district to district, including coming to Kampala. This movement and deceit has not changed and this increases the risk of spreading the disease to other parts of the country,” the President said. He added: “Given the gravity of the problem and to prevent further spread and, protect lives and livelihoods, Government is taking extra measures that require action from all of us. All these measures shall start with immediate effect and will last 21 days because the incubation period for Ebola is up to 21 days.”