Besigye Claims High HIV Rate Is Politically Motivated

Former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party Presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye has claimed that Uganda’s high HIV prevalence rate is politically motivated.

Besigye revealed this on Thursday while commenting on reports that that claims 227 Ugandans contract HIV daily.

“Uganda’s looming HIV/AIDS crisis is politically driven- low funding to health; poverty & confused control policies!” Besigye said in a tweet.

The FDC strongman however, did not point out incidents that led him to this conclusion.

In the report, the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (Unaids) has warned of a looming crisis unless Uganda controls the 227 new HIV infections daily, especially among the youth.

Amakobe Sande, the new Unaids country director said government and other agencies involved in HIV/Aids control programme should work harder and reverse the new trend of infections among the youth. She said failure to curb the scourge would negate the gains so far achieved.

President Yoweri Museveni’s government has received praise over the years for reducing the HIV prevalence rate that was 30% in the early 1990s to 7% in the 2000s. However, in recent years, the rates have shot up raising concerns that they could wash away previous achievements.