LAUNCH OF THE MAAM PROGRAMME IN UGANDA

KAMPALA-UGANDA

Report on the Launch of the Mass Action Against Malaria (MAAM) Programme in
Uganda by HE The President of Uganda.
April 5th, 2018

Introduction:
On April 5th, 2018, I was privileged to attend the launch of a joint initiative by the Uganda
Parliamentary Forum for Malaria (UPFM) and the Ministry of Health’s Mass Action Against
Malaria (MAAM) program by H.E. the President of Uganda, Y.K. Museveni that took place
at the compound of the Parliament of Uganda, Kampala.

Invited to this event were the Speaker of Parliament, The Prime Minister, all Ministers of
Government, all Members of Parliament, all districts of Uganda represented by their
political leaders (the LCV Chairpersons), their Chief Executives (the Chief Administrative
Officers-CAOs), and the District Health Officers (DHOs). Also represented were all the
religious leaders, heads of INGOs/NGOs/CSOs organizations and private companies
involved in any form of malaria intervention. Lastly, the donors or development partners
were represented, namely, US government, UK government, the UN organizations, Global
Fund, Malaria No More organization, and the African Leaders on Malaria (ALMA). Pilgrim
Africa was categorized and given a place on the table of development partners.

Purpose of the Event:

This event was organized for four main reasons:
1. Mobilize and rally the politicians, the private sector, and the general public to
engage in and take personal responsibility for the fight against malaria.
2. Launch the national Mass Action Against Malaria (MAAM) program
3. Launch the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria (UPFM)
4. Launch the Presidential Malaria Fund (PMF)
5. Recognize key individuals who have had a prominent and significant role in the
fight against malaria

Speeches & Key Statements/Commitments:

Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria

a) Introduced their bi-partisan elected committee that will help mobilize them to fight
malaria at political level in their constituencies across the country

b) Emphasized that they are the largest and fully all party forum of parliament
involving all MPs with the Speaker as their Patron
 c) Promised to pass all necessary legislation, increase allocation of funds to health for
malaria, to support formation of a Presidential Malaria Fund, and supervise health
programs in their constituencies

d) Committed to following through their slogan “A malaria free constituency is my

responsibility”

e) Committed to documenting and showing, on the boards of parliament,

performance of each constituency in the fight against malaria by publishing on a
monthly basis and ranking constituencies by malaria cases treated and mortalities.

Malaria No More Ambassador

a) Narrated her near death experience with malaria in Brazil due to delayed diagnosis
forming the basis of her commitment and determination to see that no one had to
suffer from malaria any more

b) Explained that the film they had just shot for presentation and showing in the
upcoming CHOGM meeting in Europe was shot in Uganda and the HE the President
of Uganda was be invited to give a key note address on this forum

c) Appreciated the President and Ugandans for this initiative (MAAM) to join efforts
across the country and various sectors to eliminate fight malaria and offered
whatever assistance she can mobilize to help Uganda see this effort materialize

Executive Secretary, ALMA

Highlighted the problem of malaria in Uganda, commended the president and government
for taking the lead in the effort to “make Uganda malaria free” and offered whatever
assistance possible in this war.

The UNDP Represented by World Health Organization Res. Rep.

a) Citing several statistical references depicting the malaria disease burden on Uganda
and the gains made to-date, he commended the President, parliament, government,
and all other actors for their initiative to fight malaria through MAAM – an making
it everyone’s responsibilities to have a malaria free Uganda, saying Uganda had
done what no other country in Africa had done.

b) He commended Uganda and parliamentarians for coming up with a forum for

malaria elimination and plans to start a Ugandan Presidential Malaria Fund (PMF)
and mobilize resources locally to fight malaria.

c) He observed encouraged GOU to increase its funding for malaria activities, pointing
out that no country in the world had eliminated malaria using external or donor
funds but rather used locally mobilized resources.

d) He promised continued support to Uganda in this war on malaria.

UK Deputy High Commissioner to Uganda
a) She commended the President, members of parliament, and other actors for
developing MAAM as a local initiative to fight malaria.

b) She observed encouraged GOU to increase its funding for malaria activities, pointing
out that no country in the world had eliminated malaria using external or donor
funds but rather used locally mobilized resources.

c) She indicated the funding that had been committed by the UK government for the
next five years to combat malaria.

d) She promised the UK’s continued support to Uganda.

US Deputy Ambassador to Uganda:

a) Outlined the long-term relationship between the US and Uganda in the war against
malaria, citing the various areas and levels of US investment in malaria control.

b) Acknowledged the gains made in this battle and the role played by the US
government through their own PMI & CDC in partnership with the Ministry of
Health.

c) Implored GoU to increase its own commitment, funding and investment in the
health sector and including malaria control

d) Assured Uganda of the US government’s commitment to support her with this

initiative

H.E. The President of the Republic of Uganda

a) I launched our own home grown ambitious and innovative strategy and effort to
eliminate malaria – the “Mass Action Against Malaria – (MAAM)” to mobilize all
Ugandans to make it their personal responsibility to create “a malaria free Uganda”
through universal use of combined prevention measures, (i.e., Indoor Residual
Spraying, sleeping under long lasting insecticide treated nets, & application of
larvicides on stagnant water in urban areas) and prompt testing and treatment
measures; and ensure mainstreaming malaria activities in all sectors of the economy
and society.

b) I commissioned an inter-party parliamentary forum constituted by ALL members of

our parliament, the “Uganda Parliamentary Forum (UPMF) on Mass Action Against
Malaria” that will mobilize all our Members of Parliament to prioritize and provide
political leadership to the elimination of malaria both at national level and in their
constituencies, and ensure it is mainstreamed in all government programs and
political activity.
 c) I signed, alongside our Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, Prime Minister, Minister
of Health, Heads of Inter-religious Council, the Cabinet, Members of Parliament,
and all local government (districts) political and technical leaders, each in
accordance to their jurisdictions, three national commitments: “a malaria free
Uganda is my responsibility”, “a malaria free constituency is my responsibility”, and
“a malaria free district is my responsibility” ensuring this effort will be a shared,
mainstreamed, and decentralized across the organs of our government, religious &
cultural institutions, civil society, and the private sector.

d) Aware of the funding gap of USD 800 million and in effort to increase our national
contribution to at least 50% of the malaria elimination budget, I have committed,
on behalf of the government and people of Uganda, to establish our own
“Presidential Malaria Fund Uganda – (UPFU)”, that will be a vehicle to mobilize
resources from our taxes and levies, our development partners, the civil society, the
private sector, citizens and friends of Uganda. Through this fund, we will ensure
that all Ugandans have full access to various malaria elimination drugs, tools, and
measures; recruitment and deployment of the needed health workers; fund local
research; increase capacity of lower government officials, i.e., parish chiefs, to
monitor implementation and progress of malaria programs; and other critical
interventions. We wish to thank and point out that some of our partners have
already committed USD 340 million for the next three years.

I call upon all our partners, friends of Uganda, and believers in “a malaria free world”, to
join and support us in “Making Uganda a Malaria Free Country”.

End of HE President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Speech.