By Our Reporters
President Museveni’s efforts to improve the working relationship between Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and her Deputy Sarah Opendi are yet to yield fruit. The Global Fund-related differences between the two recently saw Finance Minister Matia Kasaija write to the Geneva-based Uganda GF portfolio manager Dr. Saman Zamani asking him not to halt a tender Korean pharmaceuticals firm Access Bio had been awarded to continue supplying RDTs (basically maralia-testing kits) to Uganda at an exorbitant cost of $26m every 12 months. Kasaija’s 22nd March letter came after Hon. Opendi had spoken to the President accusing Dr. Aceng of working to frustrate Access Bio from continuing to be awarded the Ugandan GF RDTs contract without being subjected to competitive bidding. Aceng had previously interacted with GF bosses and wondered why Access Bio continued to monopolize the contract for 7 years without competition yet there are potentially better service providers that could supply the same in a manner that is more compliant with GF’s own basic standards requirements of (i) non government interference, (ii) best medicines quality and (iii) best prices. Aceng’s views were subsequently construed to imply malice against Access Bio whose Group Chairman Young Choi resorted to writting to the President arguing that Aceng was (rightly) raising a red flag about their RDTs being very expensive so that the subsequent contract is awarded through competitive bidding, a window they feared might bring in stronger competitors like Abbot Diagnostics Ltd. In the two page letter, Young praised Opendi as very hard working and focussed while bashing Aceng. He accused her of frustrating Access Bio’s efforts to build a phamaceutical-manufacturing plant in Uganda.
He said this was a $40m investment that would create 1,000 jobs for Ugandan youths. In the same letter, he asks the President for free land in Namanve and informs him the process had already started with an MoU being signed between his company and GoU. He asks the President to denounce Aceng for not being on the same page with Opendi on this matter. Young, who curiously doesn’t disclose why his company has never considered this factory project in Uganda for the last 7 years they have operated here, says the same is being relocated from Ethiopia the African Capital from which not many serious investors would consider relocating. The shrewd Korean business Executive, seemingly on his knees, informs the President his firm will annually be bringing in $150m worth of foreign exchange in annual phamacuetical exports. He promises to make Museveni proud by inviting him for the ground-breaking ceremony for his factory in one year’s time once they are granted free industrial land in Namanve. In the alternative, Young implores Museveni to allocate them land near Lake Victoria in Entebbe to ease their exportation of the pharmaceuticals once production begins. On hearing how Opendi had worked with Premier Rugunda and people at Solicitor General’s office to total exclusion of her senior colleague, Museveni rang Aceng who denied being involved in any sabotage. The President was intrigued that, beyond merely alleging, Young didn’t provide any proof that Aceng had influenced GF in anyway to begin subjecting Access Bio to competitive bidding. In his letter, Young had provided Museveni with contacts of the GF Uganda portfolio manager (Dr. Saman Zaman) urging him to contact him directly imploring him not to insist on the things Aceng had previously raised. When Museveni ignored them having spoken to Aceng and got his own facts, the Koreans resorted to Matia Kasaija for whom a letter was drafted and signed urgently imploring Geneva to save the Access Bio $26m contract for this year. It’s understood that the Koreans’ view of not being subjected to competitive bidding that could compel them to slash their prices and improve quality, is very unpopular with MoH technocrats and with members of the Country Coordinating Mechanism whose membership mostly comprises of CSOs representatives. There is also concern that Kasaija wrote his letter to Geneva without adequately consulting technical people concerned with the matter. Its also curious that Geneva, that has always been very outspoken regarding its value for money policy, has for 7 years now been comfortable dealing with an entity that is never subjected to competitive bidding. Access Bio officials say they are prepared to use the supernormal profits they have been making off GF Uganda supplies to give back to GoU by putting up a $40m pharmaceuticals manufacturing factory on the land they are expecting the President to donate to them.
NOTHING NEW
The differences between Opendi and Aceng aren’t new especially to those familiar with the goings on at the Wandegeya-based Ministy. It all started with Aceng’s elevation and appointment from Director General Health Services to Minister of Health (effectively making her political head). Opendi supporters were displeasured by this as they saw it as disrespectful because as DG, Aceng was under Opendi who was already State Minister along with Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye and Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. Opendi supporters considered it even intriguing that the President elevated Aceng ahead of Opendi who is also an MP representing Tororo District Women yet Aceng isn’t even an MP. Sometime last year, Aceng acting as Minister came up with Community Health Workers Extension Strategy (CHWES) which cabinet had even passed as a policy to recruit volunteer health extension workers accross the country in a phased period of 5 years. These would compliment on the work being done by Village Health Teams (VHTs) whose work has lately been found inadequate. It was widely expected this policy would be Aceng’s lasting legacy but the move aborted when cabinet was moved to rescind its own policy. This was after some people, thought to be pro-Opendi, prevailed on the President by telling him that transformative as it would be, the Aceng policy would politically backfire and affect his own political popularity with especially the elderly public health workers. The rescision of the policy was seen as triumph for Opendi and defeat for Aceng, something that only escalated and deepened the wedge between the two female Ministers. (For comments, email us on mulengera2040@gmail.com).
