By Nasser Kasozi Akandwanaho
President Museveni has joined the movement that has taken a swipe at rich countries for hoarding Coronavirus vaccines when they are most needed by people living in poor countries.
“They have failed on the test of strategy; we now know they don’t care for us. Thank you very much. Yes, some of us will die but our children will now know that these are not people to depend on,”Museveni said.
The Ugandan president was on Sunday afternoon speaking during the opening of the World Health Summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
The first World Health Summit regional meeting in Africa is organized by M8 Alliance together with Makerere University and brings together experts from around the world and especially many African countries to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic from an African perspective.
According to Museveni, the rich countries have failed on the three codes of Christianity, tribe and strategy, saying they should feel ashamed of themselves.
“We hear there are Christians in America and Europe but they have failed on the Christian faith. They have failed on the tribal code. They have failed on the Christian code. They have also failed on the test of strategy and we now know they don’t care for us. If they can repent, quickly, they can send the vaccines and find a way of covering up,” he said.
COVID-19 a Blessing in disguise
The president however said whereas the pandemic has made the world suffer, it has been a blessing in disguise, especially for the African continent.
He said it has taught a good lesson to Africans that they must wake up and do something.
“It has woken up the Africans. Africans sleep too much. I have never believed in dependency. For the last 60 years, I have been struggling against that. This unfortunate phenomenon where people have vaccines and say they must vaccinate their own people wakes up us as Africans. This selfishness is bad but good because it wakes up Africans. It is a shame that the whole of the African continent is asleep and waiting for others to save us,” Museveni said.
President Museveni’s remarks come on the backdrop of similar sentiments by many other people and organisations around the world that have blasted the rich countries for hoarding Covid vaccines.
The People’s Vaccine Alliance, a network of organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and Global Justice Now recently blasted the rich countries for being selfish in regards the Covid vaccine.
The World Health Organisation also criticized the European Union’s announcement of export controls on vaccines produced within the bloc, saying such measures risked prolonging the pandemic.
Many poor countries have seen their efforts to have a sizeable number of people, especially those in the high-risk category frustrated due to a shortage of Covid vaccines.
