“They can keep their money! Uganda will be fine without it,” says Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni once said that Uganda would not be affected if the United States stopped giving financial aid. “They can keep their money! Uganda will be fine without it,” he said confidently.

But recent information from the Ministry of Health shows that the situation is different.

Uganda has reportedly lost more than UGX 604 billion since U.S. aid was withdrawn. This money had been supporting many important health programs, including paying health workers.

Now that the funding is gone, many hospitals and clinics are facing serious problems. Some hospitals have run out of medicines, and health workers are not getting paid on time. This has forced patients, especially the poor, to pay for services that were once free.

“We used to receive enough supplies,” said a nurse at a public hospital in Kampala. “But now, we are struggling. Some nurses haven’t been paid in months, and many are thinking of leaving their jobs.”

Reports also claim that part of the lost aid was secretly funding LGBTQ+ programs, even though the government openly speaks against them. The same government has accused the opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), of supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

This has raised many questions among Ugandans. People are wondering why the government accepted money for programs it publicly disagrees with.

Opposition politicians have blamed the government for hiding the truth and misusing donor funds. “They told the people that we don’t need foreign support, but now our hospitals are suffering. So who is really affected?” one opposition Member of Parliament said.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the aid cut has caused delays in salaries and shortages in medicines, making the situation worse for both health workers and patients.