ULTIMATUM TO MEDICAL INTERNS IS RECKLESS AND MUST BE WITHDRAWN.
We condemn in the strongest terms the Ministry of Health’s directive ordering medical interns to report to their designated hospitals by 14 August or forfeit their internship placements.
Sending an intern to run a ward without pay, without support, and not even with guarantee that they will be facilitated is not deploying them to save lives. It is putting both patients and interns at risk.
The Federation for Uganda Medical Interns has been clear on why the strike continues: Government has not withdrawn the disputed National Education and Training for Health Policy, and it has refused to guarantee equal welfare and allowances for both government-sponsored and privately sponsored interns yet they are all going to work for Government.
The doctor-to-patient ratio of of Ugandans is estimated at roughly 1 to 24,000, this a big vacuum and it’s these Medical interns that cover this vacuum. If you walk into any Government hospital today, you will find that it is medical interns, who are on the ward, in theatre, and in the maternity unit at 2 a.m.
Sincerely you are sending such a Doctor to a hospital without food, no accommodation and northing to start from.
When do we reach here?
All these leaders and Members of Parliament do not use these hospitals; they access private facilitation and medical insurance at the expense of ordinary Ugandans who pay taxes.
After 40 years, this Government has over the years failed to pass a functioning National Health Insurance Scheme for the general public. And has deliberately failed to provide quality health services to Ugandans.
Ministry of Health figures put the full annual cost of facilitating interns at UGX 35.7 billion, yet Uganda spends an estimated USD 150 to 175 million annually sending a select few citizens abroad for medical treatment. That is several times the entire national bill for facilitating every medical intern in the country.
We have over UGX 24 billion in savings from suspended public holiday functions and could be redirected to intern facilitation.
Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth cut the Office of the Speaker’s budget from over Shs 24 billion to about Shs 3.9–4 billion, and directed that the difference go to parliamentary committees rather than back to the treasury, Can’t this money be redirected to fund thid gap
We demand for:
Immediate withdrawal of the 14 August forfeiture ultimatum.
A written commitment from the Ministry of Health guaranteeing equal facilitation and allowances for all medical interns, government-sponsored and privately sponsored alike.
A supplementary budget of at least UGX 35.7 billion dedicated to intern facilitation, drawn from existing government and parliamentary savings, including the UGX 24 billion already identified from suspended public holiday functions.
ROBERT CENTINARY FRANCO
VICE CHAIRPERSON
A COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE FORUM FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (FDC) ON THE DEPLOYMENT OF UPDF TROOPS TO GAZA (UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL STABILIZATION FORCE (ISF) FRAMEWORK)
Presented to:
NAM Member states,
The People of Uganda, Members of Parliament of Uganda,
Civil Society, Regional and International Partners,
Date: 1OTH AUGUST 2026;
- Introduction
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) issues this communiqué on moral grounds, to express our firm and principled dissent regarding the Government of Uganda’s decision to deploy the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to the Gaza Strip under the International Stabilization Force (ISF) framework created by U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Background and contextual framework.
Uganda is a Member and currently the Chair of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) for the 2024–2027 terms. This leadership position carries significant diplomatic and moral responsibility. The decision to deploy UPDF troops to Gaza under a U.S.-designed military framework directly contradicts the foundational principles of NAM openly marks Uganda as an ally of the USA (A Superpower) and undermines Uganda’s credibility in the membership and leadership of the Non Allied Movement (NAM) and on the global stage.
Uganda’s NAM Chairmanship Compromised
NAM’s long-standing position on the Palestinian question is clear and unwavering:
- Support for Palestinian self-determination
- Rejection of foreign military control of Palestine.
- Opposition to superpower domination
- Commitment to anti-imperialism and sovereignty
The ISF framework—designed outside the United Nations peacekeeping system and heavily aligned to with U.S. strategic interests—violates these principles.
Uganda, as NAM Chair, is expected to defend these values, but not betray them.
“The deployment of the UPDF to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) under terms linked to U.S. frameworks creates friction with traditional Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) principles.”
(c ) President Museveni’s Contradictory Position
By approving the deployment of UPDF troops to Gaza, President Museveni has placed Uganda into a position of moral and political contradiction as follows :
- As NAM Chairman, he claims to champion sovereignty, anti-imperialism, and Palestinian rights.
- As a U.S. ally and military partner in war, he aligns Uganda with a superpower’s geopolitical agenda in the Middle East.
This double standard erodes Uganda’s diplomatic integrity and portrays the President of Uganda as an unprincipled leader, willing to abandon NAM’s founding philosophy in favour of a USA government approval in order to gain NRM regime longevity in power under the protection of USA military and economic power in spite of a deteriorating human rights abuses in Uganda .
“The Uganda deployment makes Uganda openly become an ally of a superpower (USA) in its wars of conquest and global domination contrary to the philosophy of NAM.”
- Problems with the Parliamentary process.
(a) Members of Parliament were denied time to examine the matter deeply:
The motion authorizing UPDF deployment was:
- Hurriedly tabled,
- Rushed through plenary,
- Passed without adequate debate,
- Not scrutinized by committees,
- Not supported by a risk analysis or cost -benefit analysis.
This rush through Parliament undermines parliamentary independence and denied Ugandans the right to reflect on the following :
- The nature of the conflict in Gaza
- NAM and the conflict in Gaza.
- NAM’s Historic Support for Palestine Undermined
NAM has consistently:
- Supported Palestinian independence,
- Opposed foreign military intervention,
- Demanded respect for the 1967 borders,
- Called for full UN membership for Palestine.
NAM’s Historic Support for Palestine Undermined is being undermined .
NAM has consistently:
- Supported Palestinian independence,
- Opposed foreign military intervention,
- Called for full UN membership for Palestine.
- Uganda as a member state of NAM and the Global South.
The implications of Uganda’s participation in this ISF Gaza mission on the collective voice of the Global South.
Uganda’s participation in a U.S.-designed force betrays the legacy of The Global South in the fight against Western Domination and weakens the collective voice of the Global South on the Palestinian question .
The Global South is a geopolitical and socioeconomic term that groups together developing, emerging, and less industrialized nations—primarily located in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.
Core Characteristics of the Global South are the following:
- Socioeconomic Gaps: Refers to nations with lower average income levels, industrial development, and infrastructure compared to wealthier nations.
- Postcolonial Heritage: Highlights shared pasts of European colonization and exploitation.
- Shifting Power: Represents a push away from a Western-dominated world order toward a more multipolar global system of governance through shared power and influence
Uganda’s participation in a U.S.-designed force betrays this legacy and weakens the collective voice of the Global South.
The Global South is a geopolitical and socioeconomic term that groups together developing, emerging, and less industrialized nations—primarily located in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania.
Core Characteristics of the Global South are the following:
- Socioeconomic Gaps: Refers to nations with lower average income levels, industrial development, and infrastructure compared to wealthier nations.
- Postcolonial Heritage: Highlights shared pasts of European colonization and exploitation.
- Shifting Power: Represents a push away from a Western-dominated world order toward a more multipolar global system of governance through shared power and influence
- The nature of the Gaza conflict and the danger in the field and the framework for taking care of Ugandan soldiers during and after the mission.
- The dangers to UPDF soldiers when deployed to Gaza.
- The insurance framework- Compensation for injuries, deformities and loss of lives .
- The financial burden: Who meets the costs of this mission -Uganda or USA ?
- The contradiction with the NAM principles.
“The motion was hurriedly passed without adequate parliamentary debate.”
- The Way forward:
(a) Uganda Must Choose: NAM or U.S. Military Alliance
The FDC position is unequivocal:
Uganda cannot be both:
A NAM member and Chair, committed to The Principles and doctrines of NAM.
- A military ally of the United States in Gaza and other Middle East conflicts.
These positions are mutually exclusive.
If Uganda chooses to act as a U.S. ally:
- It must withdraw from NAM,
- President Museveni must resign as NAM Chair,
- And Uganda must formally abandon NAM’s position on the Palestinian question.
The FDC demands that Uganda remain in NAM, uphold its leadership with dignity, and withdraw UPDF troops from this ISF mission in Gaza
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) hereby declares:
- Uganda should not go ahead with the UPDF troops deployment to Gaza.
- The president of Uganda must uphold the NAM position on the Palestinian question, and protect his international credibility as chairman of NAM.
- President Museveni must stop using NAM leadership to mask alignment with U.S. military interests.
- The office of the Speaker of The Parliament of Uganda must not be allowed to just make Parliament to be fused together with the executive (Killing the doctrine of separation of powers ) by speedily driving the contentious matters brought to parliament by the executive to just pass through parliament without adequately parliamentary scrutiny ; and , MPs should strive to reclaim the space , time and dignity of parliament ; MPs deserve to have a genuine say over matters of military deployments like this one .
- Uganda must remain a principled member of NAM, and be committed to peace, sovereignty, and justice.
Uganda’s dignity, sovereignty, and global reputation as a NAM Member state and The Current Chairman of NAM depend on choosing non alignment, not in becoming an ally of USA (super power) in its conflicts around the world .
Thank you.
Hon. Fungaroo Kaps Hassan
Deputy President -FDC
MP-Obongi Constituency
Shadow Minister of Security.
Phone: +256 782658923.