By Jeff Pritchard, Malaria Partners International Board Chair
Newly elected Malaria Partners InternationalU Board Chair, Kenneth Mugisha (Past Rotary District 9211 Governor) recently added another example to both his and Malaria Partners InternationalU’s community leadership credentials. Mr. Mugisha has been appointed Board Chair of Malaria Free Uganda (MFU) a newly created national business initiative to eliminate malaria in Uganda by 2030. The organization plans to leverage private sector financing to help close the government’s malaria funding gap.
PDG Kenneth Mugisha
The initiative, led by an 11 member Board of Directors representing 10 major Ugandan companies, will pool funds and resources from local under-utilized sources for the fight against malaria. As reported in The Daily Mirror newspaper of Kampala, the initiative comes at a time when the country is experiencing major disruptions in malaria control services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with dwindling support from donors which previously had been financing about 90 percent of Uganda’s disease control programs.
Mr. Ken Mugisha from Malaria Partners International of Uganda, said their main objective is to deliver a malaria-free Uganda by 2030. “As Rotary members, we set a target to eliminate polio in the world; last week Africa was declared polio free. Be assured that by 2030, Uganda will be malaria free. We have a lot of determination to end malaria’s burden in Uganda and we believe that when we work with different stakeholders, we will achieve this.”
Mr. Mugisha said the core area of MFU’s work include mobilizing resources from local and other unexploited sources to close the budget gap, enable the full implementation of the National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP), and strengthening accountability.
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s Health Minister, said the initiative is an important step in the fight against malaria. “The talent and experience we have mobilized to this Board from the private sector and civil society will support government efforts to achieve a malaria free Uganda by 2030,” she said.
The Malaria Free Uganda Board includes the following business leaders:
- Mr. Kenneth Mugisha, RMP Uganda (Board Chair)
- Mr. Patrick Bitature, Chairman Simba Group
- Mr. Solomon Ossiya, RMP Uganda
- Ms. Lillian Ajarova, CEO, Uganda Tourism Board
- Mr. Fabian Kasi, CEO, Centenary Bank,
- Ms. Barbara Mulwana, Chairperson Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA)
- Mr. Harrison Mutikanga, CEO, Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited
- Ms. Proscovia Nabbanja, CEO, Uganda National Oil Company
- Ms. Sylvia Arinaitwe, Dep. MD, National Water & Sewerage Corporation
- Ms. Juliet Kyokunda, CEO Uganda Biodiversity Fund
- Mr. Bildard Buguma, MD, Joint Medical Stores