KAMPALA – The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, has blasted the government’s decision to cut medical interns’ monthly allowances, warning it risks collapsing Uganda’s overstretched healthcare system.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking on Saturday, June 7, 2026, while presiding over the ordination and installation service of Deacons, a Priest, and Canons at All Saints’ Cathedral in Kampala, the Archbishop drew a sharp contrast between the government’s spending priorities and the reality on the ground in public hospitals.
His remarks come just days after the final budget under the 11th Parliament was presented, which included a staggering Shs166.8 billion allocation specifically for purchasing vehicles for Members of the incoming 12th Parliament.
Last week, the Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi defended the government’s decision to scrap allowances for medical interns, saying the growing number of graduates has made the arrangement financially unsustainable.
With visible frustration, Archbishop Kaziimba questioned the rationale of finding billions for legislators’ luxury cars while claiming the treasury is empty for junior doctors.
“You cannot say that you have Shs158 billion to purchase cars for Members of Parliament and then claim that you do not have Shs28 billion to pay medical interns’ allowances, with the excuse that it would crush the economy,” the Archbishop thundered.
The Archbishop warned that removing medical interns’ allowances would cause an immediate collapse of frontline services, noting that senior doctors are rarely in hospitals while interns do the critical donkey work everywhere.
“By the way, senior doctors are rarely in the hospitals. It is the medical interns who are everywhere doing the donkey work,” Kaziimba said.
Parliament has approved Shs166.8 billion (about $45 million) for new vehicles for the 529 Members of the 12th Parliament, sparking intense debate over the upcoming 2026/27 budget.
Each Member of Parliament is likely to receive Shs315.3 million for a car, marking a 57 percent jump from the Shs200 million given in the previous Parliament.
The vehicle fund is part of a larger Shs263.9 billion parliamentary request that also includes Shs5.6 billion for MP medical insurance and Shs91.5 billion for office retooling.
Defenders of the allocation argue that reliable, standardized vehicles are essential for MPs to effectively carry out constituency work, oversight duties, and reach remote areas.
However, critics note that while MPs receive fully-furnished luxury transport, medical interns, who form the backbone of patient care in rural and urban hospitals, are left with nothing.
Healthcare advocates warn that scrapping their allowances will not only demoralize young doctors but could lead to strikes or a mass exodus from the profession, leaving millions of Ugandans without care.
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