The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has embarked on a process to mend the relationship between Makerere University and the ministry of Health whose officials are reportedly fighting over COVID-19 cash.
Officials from both institutions today held a crisis meeting which was presided over by the acting prime minister Gen Moses Ali.
Reports alleging a heated clash between the two institutions came into the public domain days after the president noted that the COVID-19 testing lab at Makerere had declared nine false positives. Media reports indicated that the centre of the clash was the cost of running coronavirus tests.
The reports according to Gen Ali angered the president who directed that the two parties come together and end all the "useless clashes" and focus on the fight against the pandemic.
Today, the two parties met at OPM in the presence of members of the national COVID-19 task force and a representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health minister, distanced herself and the ministry from the allegations of fighting over COVID cash, noting that the two parties have enjoyed a cordial relationship based on evidence even before COVID-19, where Makerere generated research and submitted it to the ministry to carry out by policy decisions.
Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe also said that the only issue between the two parties was about the false COVID-19 results, which has since been cleared.
He added that the government has given Makerere over Shs 70.3 billion to support over 110 research and innovation projects currently being undertaken by staff, students, and other collaborators to find locally based solutions to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Daina Atwine, the ministry of Health permanent secretary notes that the said clash between Makerere and the ministry is instigated by people with a personal vendetta. After the meeting, all the participants in the meeting reportedly went to Entebbe to meet the president.
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