President Museveni encourages Ugandans to be vigilante in face of new COVID 19 Variant

President Yoweri Museveni has called for more vigilance in the fight against Covid19 in the face of a new more dangerous variant that has been detected in the country.

 

“Have you seen what is happening in India? Ugandans, I appeal to you to maintain the status quo until we have immunized a minimum number of people. To be on the safe side, let us immunize a minimum of between 5 – 7million people then we can open up curfew. A new Covid -19 variant is already here and more dangerous,” he said, adding, that people should remain vigilant in the fight against the pandemic.

 

Uganda has of 4^th May vaccinated 341,819 people against COVID-19 which leaves the highest number of the population at risk of contracting the new deadlier variant.

The President was speaking at a virtual scientific ceremony to commemorate the International Labour Day under the theme, “Enhancing Innovation for Increased Employment Creation and Labour Productivity: A Sustainable Covid-19 Response.”

The ceremony was held at State House Entebbe and was attended among others; by the Vice President H.E Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi, the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, the First Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali, the Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo, and Cabinet Ministers.

 

On the issue of employment creation, President Museveni noted that since 1986, the NRM manifestos have always clearly addressed the issue of employment in the country.

 

“We are going to create the jobs. The problem is the reluctance to take our advice, which has worked. The jobs are there but they will only come in big numbers if we listen to NRM's principle no.3-social economic transformation. I was looking at the figures of 1969 and the Ugandans working in the factories. Only about 30,000 something were working and now we have 700,000. This proves that if we get more factories we shall create more jobs,” he said.

 

The President said people need to understand the target of Socio-economic transformation by emphasizing the four sectors of commercial agriculture to create jobs, building factories, creating service and backing up ICT.