(Last Updated On: 22 March 2023)

Scientist appearing before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday March 20, 2023 confirmed that it is not possible to make a vaccine within a year.

They said it takes at least 15 years. Why did Dr Monica Musenero mislead Museveni who promised the entire world that Uganda had a capacity to make Covid – 19 vaccines without prior experience? Asked Dr John Lubega, a professor of clinical pathology, told law makers on PAC that research shows that such initiatives can take up to 15 years.

Principal Investigator Dr Balinda confirmed that experienced drug and vaccine makers at Oxford suggest that it can take Uganda up to 25 years to produce a vaccine.

The scientists together with Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation officials had been invited by PAC to provide an update on the manufacture of COVID19 vaccine and account for up to shs36b that had been given to Dr Monica Musenero to develop the vaccine respectively.

There is no accountability or the necessary supporting documentation to support the use of shs36b advanced by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic development to be used to develop the Vaccine.

AG report

The Auditor General conducted a forensic investigation into Covid-19 funds received and expended by the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) during the financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

The audit followed a letter dated September 3, 2021, when the Clerk to Parliament wrote to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister also Leader of Government Business stating the resolutions of Parliament on the report of the Parliamentary task force on the National COVID-19 Response.

In the said letter, the Clerk indicated that at the 22nd meeting of the 1st session of the 11th Parliament, the House adopted the report of the Parliamentary Task force on the National COVID-19 responses.

Included among the resolutions made during the meeting, was a request that the Auditor General conducts a Forensic Investigation on the COVID-19 funds.

The main objective of the forensic investigation was to ascertain whether all COVID-19-related spending for the financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 was applied appropriately in accordance with the existing regulations and guidelines and to make recommendations for better use of COVID-19-related funds.

The auditor general’s report on forensic audit indicated that more documents and information might exist which were not made available to him, or that he was unable to locate.

Dr Monica Musenero did not avail the documents to enable audit to be conducted. When the former accounting officer Mr. David O O Obong was interviewed about the documents, he did not know the whereabouts of the documents since his contract was terminated and he could not access the office.

While United Kingdom, China and USA were able to produce a vaccine using their advanced technologies within a year, it is generally accepted that the process of creating a vaccine to prevent the spread of diseases takes a minimum of 10-12 years.

With scientist disowning Museveni’s decorated Minister, this sends clear signals that Musenero may be charged for misleading the President. The Minister mislead the President to believe that Uganda could develop a vaccine within a year.

According to PAC, the Auditor General says, the Ministry did not avail the Auditors with documents to Audit. Many now believe that the disbandment of the Ministry must have been a deliberate move to kill any evidence of misuse of tax payers’ money.