Besigye: Aceng’s explanation on Lira ‘rally’ pathetic

Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has punched holes in a statement Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng issued on her Lira procession incident.

On July 12, Minister Aceng released a statement clarifying on a video and photos published online showing her in a procession that violated regulations on prevention of Covid19.

The President Yoweri Museveni government banned political rallies in March 2020 as one of the measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Minister Aceng has been at the forefront of the Covid19 fight, rallying Ugandans to wear face masks and observe social distancing.

But the photos and video won her criticism. Although she says she had gone to distribute masks, a procession with people singing her praises earned her more condemnation.

 Aceng recently announced she would join elective politics by seeking election for the Lira Woman MP seat.

On the day the procession happened, police arrested Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the deputy Prime Minister in Besigye’s People’s Government, in Kasoko for holding a meeting.

Besigye has now described Aceng’s explanation of the events that happened in Lira on July 10 showing clear violation of the very rules she issued as “pathetic.”

Besides being a politician, the opposition strongman is a trained medical doctor and President Museveni’s former physician in the bush war.

He argues that Aceng’s clarification that her crowd wasn’t a political rally but a launch of distribution of face masks in the same constituency for which she seeks election doesn’t add up.

“Minister Aceng’s explanation makes clear that her rules aim at restricting political rallies, not controlling spread of COVID-19 thru observing SoPs!” Besigye wrote.

On the day police arrested Ssemujju and left Aceng’s rally undisturbed, Besigye juxtaposed the photos from the two events and took a swipe at the minister.

“it’s very sad watching Dr Ruth Aceng degenerate quickly to become another typical ‘NRM cadre’ – caring less about matching what she says and does!”