Over 800 people in Uganda got fake vaccines

More than 800 Ugandans were vaccinated with fake Covid-19 vaccines in the capital, Kampala, from May 15 to June 17, according to reports. Several suspects including a doctor, Mugisha Baguma Francis, now on the run, were in the scheme. Most likely, they put water in the vials, and then sold them to people and companies, it is reported.

“The contents of labels of this vaccine are suspected to have either been stolen from somewhere or manufactured from Nasser Road in Kampala but they did not pass through the right channels of the government,” Dr. Wallen Naamara, the head of the health monitoring unit in the office of the President (State house) was quoted saying.

The volume of the illegal vials seemed off compared to the real Covid-19 vaccines and their caps also seemed to have been tempered with, Naamara told the Daily Monitor newspaper. The police reportedly raided a fake vaccine center in Kampala and arrested two nurses. The nurses were found with stamps belonging to Kampala City Authority and 150 pieces of vaccination cards all suspected to be fake.

The revelation by Dr. Naamara followed a joint health intelligence team operation carried out on June 17, when  Kiswa Health Centre in the suburbs of the city   and a  vaccination centre in Nakawa Division, Kampala, were raided by health intelligence personnel and it was found that Covid-19 vaccines were being sold on a black market. People paid between UgShs100,000 and UgShs200,000 for a dose. 

Many Ugandans, especially those who have received inoculations, fear for their lives and are wondering whether they were not vaccinated with the fake vaccines, and how they can verify the authenticity of the jab they received.

Ugandans have lost trust in Museveni’s government and now doubt if there are serious measures in place to protect them against Covid-19. The recently imposed lockdown - without putting in place ways to assist vulnerable groups - is questioned by many.

Covid-19 funds were embezzled and Museveni’s family is implicated in dubious corruption scandals worth billions of shillings to supply oxygen, which was never delivered yet payments were made. This has resulted in several deaths in hospitals due to lack of oxygen for patients in critical condition.  The government failed to regulate hospitals from charging exorbitant prices for ICU beds to treat critically ill Covid-19 patients.

Uganda received 964,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in March. An additional 175,200 doses arrived in June. Although official reports say that more than 800,000 people have since been vaccinated, it is not yet known how many of those vaccinated received the real Covid-19 vaccination. Uganda has so far recorded more than 81,000 infections and more than 1,060 fatalities.

As the third wave of Covid-19 rages on with many new infections, people are disappointed by the government’s handling of the pandemic. “If Museveni’s family is implicated in procurement scandals of Covid-19 medical supplies, what do you expect doctors and nurses to do? It’s a trickle down hierarchy of corruption,” an angry bus driver said.

Observers say that Museveni’s government is far more corrupt than all previous governments of Uganda since independence. Administering fake vaccines is criminal and spells fatal health risks to the lives of millions of Ugandans. "Who will save Uganda? This is the question on everyone's mind."