A group of legislators has requested the government to avail a national comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination plan to enable them to rally their voters towards the exercise.

“The plan will help us get involved in the preparation for the long-awaited school re-opening process for the good of all Ugandan and the economy at large,” the chairperson of Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children Margret Makhoha who is also Namayingo District woman MP said.

The MPs together with Martin Kiiza, the Chief Executive officer the National Children Authority called upon the government to expedite the re-opening of schools citing other East African countries where schools are open.

MPs present included: Joel Yoweri Sebikali (Ntwetwe County), Godfrey Macho (Busia Municipality) Flavia Kabahenda (Kyegegwa), and Betty Ethal Naluyima (Wakiso Woman MP).

“The prolonged closure of schools has a devastating impact on the education of the children, on their protection, health, and wellbeing. In normal times, schools also provide children with protection from violence and abuse, and a safe place of routine and normalcy,” Kizza noted.

Kiiza said domestic violence and violence against children have increased in the last two lockdowns.

The MPs under the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children in collaboration with National Children Authority on Thursday launched a campaign dubbed: “Easing School Opening Process through teachers and Students Vaccination Campaign” to support the government's call so that by January 2022, schools will be ready for opening.

“We intend to enroll this campaign throughout the country in all regions respectively for a period of three months. We also want to benchmark with other countries that have managed to take their children back to school and those that have succeeded in ensuring that their children continue to learn even when schools are closed. All these best practices will be presented on the floor of Parliament with recommendations,” Mahookha said.

A total of 17,664 cases of domestic violence were reported to Police compared to 13,693 representing a 29%.

 Kiiza regretted the increasing child labor and exploitation of children: “During the lockdown, child labour cases have increased to 25 percent as many children tend to go on the streets to sell COVID-19 face masks, polythene bags, to contribute to family needs while some are involved in taking drugs, and unprotected sex on the streets.”

Generally, prospects for children’s education and learning post-COVID-19 were blurred by anxiety among both children and parents who are particularly concerned about re-entry into the school system for school girls who became pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Kabahenda asked authorities to set aside three days off the national calendar for purposes of inoculating the masses. 

“We have been getting information from Government that now we have bumper vaccines, close to 9 million vaccines. Can we declare three days of holiday to ensure that the whole country is vaccinated, let us flag list that. Let’s declare a public holiday for vaccination because even the vaccines that are being talked about are soon expiring,” Kabahenda implored.