Museveni, Janet receive Covid-19 vaccine

By Too Jared

President Yoweri Museveni getting vaccinated as First Lady Janet looks on.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Janet have received their Covid-19 vaccines.

Museveni, 76, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, took the first shots of the Astra Zeneca vaccine at Nakasero State Lodge on Saturday, March 27.

Taking to Twitter, Museveni encouraged Ugandans who qualify for the vaccination, which is in its second round, to get it. The first phase of vaccination covered frontline workers including health workers, security personnel, teachers, and journalists. Over 30,000 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so far, according to Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng.

“The First Lady Janet Museveni and I got our Covid-19 vaccine today in Nakasero. I encourage all Ugandans who qualify for this vaccination to go to health facilities and get it. But remember to keep observing the SoPs; wear masks, wash/sanitise hands and observe social distance,” tweeted President Museveni. First Lady Janet Museveni getting vaccinated.

The jab came soon after Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta received their dose at State House, Nairobi. The televised vaccination exercise also saw Cabinet Secretaries, including Interior’s Fred Matiang'i and Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, vaccinated.

Addressing the country on Friday, President Uhuru imposed a new lockdown and banned movement into and out of Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu, and Nakuru in a fresh bid to combat a surge in coronavirus infections.

“I am convinced that the cost of not acting now would be far greater. This is not an enemy that we are called upon to fight with bullets and bombs; but rather one that can be defeated by physical and social distancing, wearing of appropriate facemasks, frequent hand washing with soap and running water, and compliance with all other anti-coronavirus guidelines and protocols,” said Uhuru, while acknowledging that the new measures will constrain the way of life, after the emergence of a third wave.