MASAKA – The National Resistance Movement (NRM) lead mobiliser in Greater Masaka, Mr. Oscar Mutebi, has called on the government to suspend taxes on medical equipment donated by investors, warning that current levies are undermining efforts to improve healthcare and education in rural Masaka.
Mutebi, who serves as Personal Assistant to Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi emeritus, toured Rural Masaka District on Friday, March 13, 2026, delivering social services in collaboration with Bulamu Access Foundation, a Netherlands-based NGO focused on healthcare and education. The initiative included the donation of two mobile ultrasound machines to Kyanamukaka Health Centre III.
“I request the government, through His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Ministry of Health, to stop taxing medical equipment brought in by investors for charity,” Mutebi said. “These levies discourage investors from supporting critical services in our rural health centres.”
During the visit, Mutebi also addressed challenges at St. Mugaga Secondary School in Kyanamukaka Town Council, a government-aided vocational school with over 1,000 students, 60 percent of whom are girls. Students face overcrowded classrooms, poorly constructed bathing facilities, inadequate dormitories, and limited access to electricity and clean water.
Mutebi applauded Bulamu Access Foundation for supporting the school with sanitary pads and other welfare materials, while calling on the government, particularly the Ministry of Education led by First Lady Janet Museveni, to provide additional resources, including constructed bathing rooms and improved sanitation facilities.
School Headteacher Peace Magoba Bukenya said the school has 20 computers for all students and limited internet access, hindering innovation and learning. She also highlighted ongoing health challenges among students, including malaria and STIs, and called for increased support for school health programmes.
Kyanamukaka Town Council Mayor Zaina Nakidde praised the initiative, noting that the donations of ultrasound machines and sanitary supplies would significantly improve community health services.
Mutebi emphasized that the partnership between government, investors, and NGOs is critical for the development of rural Masaka, but urged urgent government intervention to remove taxes on donated medical equipment so that essential services can reach those in need without financial barriers.
“Our focus is to improve health and education welfare in Masaka. But without government support to ease these taxation hurdles, our efforts will be limited,” he said.
The call by Mutebi highlights a growing concern among local leaders and development partners that high levies on donated medical equipment discourage private and foreign investment in essential social services, leaving rural communities at a disadvantage.
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