Doctors under the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) are calling for an Extra Ordinary General Assembly after successfully raising the signatures they need to censure their president, Dr Samuel Oledo.
Dr Ronald Kazibwe, a member of the association says that by Monday, a total of 425 doctors had participated in an online poll that he and colleague Gladys Atto generated following an incident on Saturday where Oledo publicly endorsed President Yoweri Museveni to stand for the presidency in 2026.
Dr Oledo together with a group of others donning clinical coats had been attending an NRM Youth symposium in Kololo when they knelt before president Museveni and said the doctors of Uganda are asking him to stand for the presidency again, a position which was never endorsed by the members.
The poll results released on Tuesday show that 170 members voted in favour of calling for the Extra Ordinary General Assembly. Of the doctors that participated, 192 are paid-up members with an up-to-date annual subscription for 2022.
These results were attached to a letter addressed to the association Secretary-General in which the doctors are asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the censure motion and also forge a way forward to cushion against future acts like these that they say undermine their association constitution.
According to article 15 of the association constitution, an extraordinary General Meeting can be called upon a requisition made in writing by a quarter of registered members. Currently, 401 members are registered and have paid their subscription fees for 2022. This means that more than a quarter has approved calling for the meeting.
However, Dr Herbert Luswata, the UMA Secretary General said the National Executive Committee (NEC) is looking into the matter and an appropriate communication will be made when the matter is resolved.
But, sections of doctors have since Sunday been asking Dr Oledo to publicly apologize or resign. For instance, Dr Mukuzi Muhereza a former Secretary General of the Association explained to URN that the doctor violated Article 3 of their constitution which requires them to be non-partisan and maintain a high standard of professional ethics.
Muhereza says he abused powers entrusted to him as the president of the association therefore should tender an apology or resign. When this was put to Oledo, he disregarded it as “mere propaganda”.
Now, with this written call for the meeting, the National Executive Committee has 21 days to convene the event or else the petitioners are given a leeway to go ahead with the meeting as long as they comprise quarter of the members of the association.
