A section of district Authorities in
Kisoro are worried that the presidential directive to remove all roadblocks in
the country may speed up Ebola Virus disease (EVD) infections due to unlimited
movement of people.
This was raised on Wednesday 12th
October 2022 during the Kisoro district weekly Ebola Task Force meeting in the
district council hall chaired by Resident district commissioner, Hajji Shafique
Ssekandi.
In the same meeting, Kisoro district’s
health department was praised for working tooth and nail to prevent the
pandemic from crossing to the district.
However, in his address, the Kisoro
district disease surveillance focal person, Nick Muneza said that the efforts
to prevent and control the pandemic in Kisoro may not last long because the
roadblock at Kanaba has been helping so much in controlling people’s movements
from and to Kisoro district.
He advised the Kisoro district Ebola
Taskforce Committee to write to the central government seeking exclusive rights
to maintain Kanaba Check point if the people of Kisoro are to remain safe.
Muneza also questioned the competency
levels of a public health specialist who could have advised the president to
remove roadblocks instead of instituting restrictions on movements in Ebola
affected districts like Mubende, Kasanda, Kyegegwa and others to curb spread.
Meanwhile, he noted that Kisoro
district has maintained strict screening measures on three border points of
Cyanika, Bunagana and Busanza Mupaka.
The Kisoro district Internal Security
officer (DISO), Asiimwe Emmanuel said that he is also worried that Ebola
infections could rise in festive season because people from neighboring
countries have started flocking Uganda through porous borders because they know
that checkpoints have been eliminated.
He also advised the Taskforce
leadership to liaise with Rubanda district leadership such that the two
districts can have one check point at Heisesero in Rubanda district.
However, the Kisoro district RDC,
Hajji Shafique Ssekandi said that presidential directives are always final. He
tasked the DISO to make a report to the central government indicating the need
to have a roadblock in Kisoro district.
This week, the Inspector General of Police,
John Martins Okoth Ochola has directed all police commanders to act on
President Museveni’s order to remove roadblocks on all highways or else they
face consequences for disobedience.
Since kanaba roadblock was put in 2020, many people have been complaining of extortion by security officials who were manning the roadblock.
People who could reach the road block without a national ID could be asked to pay money to officers which was illegal.
