MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! How Can You Find Billions for MPs’ Cars and Give Nothing to Medical Interns Doing Donkey Work?

On a Sunday marked by solemn church ceremony and sharp political reflection, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, used the pulpit at All Saints’ Cathedral, Kampala, to raise uncomfortable questions about national spending priorities.

Presiding over the ordination and installation of Deacons, a Priest, and Canons on June 7, 2026, Archbishop Kaziimba shifted from liturgical duty to pointed public commentary, warning that recent policy decisions affecting medical interns could deepen pressure on an already fragile health system.

His central concern was simple but provocative: how government allocates money in a time of competing national needs.

“You cannot say that you have Shs158 billion to purchase cars for Members of Parliament and then claim that you do not have Shs28 billion to pay medical interns’ allowances, with the excuse that it would crush the economy,” Archbishop Kaziimba said. “By the way, senior doctors are rarely in the hospitals. It is the medical interns who are everywhere doing the donkey work.”

The Archbishop’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing controversy over the National Education and Training for Health Policy, which has scrapped monthly upkeep allowances for medical interns while retaining the requirement for a compulsory one-year internship before graduation.

For many young doctors, the change represents more than a policy adjustment—it is a direct hit to survival. Interns currently receive Shs1 million per month, down from Shs2.4 million following a 2021 presidential directive that came after prolonged industrial action over poor pay and working conditions in the health sector.

Outside the cathedral walls, the debate is already well underway. Civil society actors and financial analysts argue that the arithmetic of public spending raises difficult questions. They point out, for instance, that the estimated Shs300 million cost of a single parliamentary vehicle could sustain multiple medical interns for years.

The concern is not only about budgets, but about capacity. Uganda’s health system is already stretched thin. Ministry of Health figures show that the country has about 155,000 health workers against a required 342,832, leaving a deficit of more than 187,000 personnel. The doctor-to-patient ratio stands at roughly 1 to 24,000—far from the World Health Organization benchmark of 1 to 1,000.

Yet, within this strained system, it is medical interns who often form the backbone of day-to-day hospital operations. The Archbishop’s reference to them as the ones doing “donkey work” has resonated widely, capturing frustrations long voiced within the profession about workload, recognition, and pay.

Beyond the debate over health financing, Archbishop Kaziimba also used the occasion to call for greater national vigilance in the face of Ebola outbreaks. He urged both government and citizens to strictly observe Ministry of Health Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), stressing collective responsibility in containing the disease.

The service itself carried its own milestones. Seven Deacons and one Priest were ordained, alongside the installation of two clergy canons and one lay canon in a ceremony that blended tradition, leadership transition, and public reflection.

Among the newly installed clergy were Rev. Dr. Henry Majwala, Canon for Administration and Management and Diocesan Secretary of the Diocese of Kampala, and Rev. Emmanuel Kalagala, Canon for Ministerial Formation and Clergy Welfare and Archdeacon of Kisugu Archdeaconry. Mr. Samuel Bakutana, President of the Provincial Fathers’ Union, was installed as Lay Canon for Men’s Ministry.

In her sermon titled “Anchored in Christ for Faithful Stewardship,” The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, Dean of All Saints’ Cathedral Kampala, turned attention toward spiritual leadership and responsibility, reminding congregants that authority and resources are ultimately entrusted by God.

She urged Christians to support the Church through improved welfare and accommodation for clergy, while also cautioning against judging leaders based on their past lives.

Addressing the newly installed canons and clergy, Dr. Nyegenye emphasized the moral weight of leadership, urging integrity and accountability in service.

“Demonstrate integrity, accountability, and faithful stewardship of the resources entrusted to you by God,” she said, calling on church leaders to embody their faith both publicly and privately.

It should be remembered that MPs will get more money for ‘honorable’ cars on top of fat allowances and salaries. (See Details Here and There).

Meanwhile, you can see the list with Names of Over 1500 Ugandans Shortlisted for Government Payroll Jobs as Nurses, Midwives and Other Health Workers Here.