How stray dogs exhumed body of Uganda’s first covid-19 victim 

The Namisindwa District Woman Member of Parliament, Grace Namukhala Watuwa has told Parliament that the body of the first Covid-19 victim has been exhumed by stray dogs.

Last week, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the country had registered its first Covid death, a female Ugandan in Namisindwa district. She was buried by the team of experts from the Uganda Red Cross and the Ministry officials.

Rising on a matter of National importance, Namukhala noted that despite the district registering a death case, the Central government hasn’t provided enough support to the residents.

“It should be recalled that on July 22, 2020, Uganda recorded its first death to Covid-19 with the victim named as a female, whose samples picked from the body tested positive of Covid-19,” said Namukhala.

She told MPs that security personnel deployed to guard the grave have run away owing to the smell in the area after suspected stray dogs dug out the body.

“I want to inform this house that the body was later exhumed by dogs and the place is now full of a stench that has even chased away the security people,” she added.

The legislator further revealed that the district quarantine has over 180 cases with only four temperature guns, no food and have never received face masks despite being a border district that is still under lockdown.

“We pray that the Ministry of Health comes to our intervention to provide psychosocial support because if the churches were open, may be the prayers and the counseling would come from the churches but they are still closed.”

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who chaired the house, ordered the Ministry of Health to immediately send a team to Namisindwa district to check on the matter.

“This is a matter of great concern. First we were told that the border districts would be the first to receive masks. We need to ask the Minister of Health to urgently send a team to Namisindwa to ensure the body is properly buried, ensure that you supply the district with sanitizers and masks,” Kadaga said.