The Ministry of Health has distanced self from allegations that it sold Covid-19 vaccines to businessman Hamis Kiggundu famously known as Ham.
Running under the headline ‘Covid vaccine ‘sold’ to city trader secretly’, Daily Monitor newspaper said on Monday that the Ministry of Health last week gave Mr Kiggundu 2,000 doses of the scarce COVID-19 vaccines to immunise his tenants and workers, barely two weeks after the businessman donated Shs 530m to bolster Government’s pandemic response.
“Dr Alfred Driwale, the Head of Immunization programme at the Ministry of Health told Daily Monitor last Thursday that they were racing to exhaust the doses at hand and that Mr Kiggundu happened to present an organized group of people,” the local daily added.
However in response to the article, the Ministry said that the vaccination exercise where a group of people fronted by the businessman received jabs was in no way linked to the money donation he made a few weeks ago.
” Due to the lockdown, there has been a general low turn up for vaccination in @KCCAUG. This prompted MOH to adjust the vaccination rollout plan and allocate more vaccines to Wakiso District where most of the people in Kampala reside.On 03rd July 2021, Hamis Kiggundu, a Kampala Businessman, volunteered to mobilize eligible people among the business community for vaccination by transporting them and ensuring that all COVID-19 SOPs are fully adhered to,” the Ministry said on Monday.
” This act of kindness to support the COVID-19 vaccination exercise is in no way linked to the donation that he offered. It should be noted that Mr. Kiggundu’s contribution will be merged with the efforts of Government to procure additional vaccines, a process that is underway.”
The Health Ministry further emphasized that all COVID-19 vaccines administered in Uganda are free of charge.
“In the same vein, we appeal to the media fraternity to adhere to factual reporting rather than misinforming the public.”
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