Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni has expressed frustration with the World Health Organisation. He said they were not ‘gods’ and should be modest when setting out guidelines to manage the spread of the coronavirus.

Museveni was addressing the country on Monday, regarding the government’s efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. According to Africa News, he specifically took offence with the WHO’s protocols on the count of confirmed cases in Uganda.

Museveni had in May instructed the country’s health ministry to remove from the country’s tally, all positive tests from neighbouring countries. The WHO, meanwhile, asserts that such cases should be logged and treated in the country where they have been detected. He said, “While I am not like Trump who is fighting the World Health Organisation, I think it should be modest. We cannot be responsible for people that got infected from another country.”

Africa News reports that at least 167 nationals of neighbouring countries have been sent back home, despite having tested positive in Uganda. Museveni said that in Africa, hosts have a right to welcome or reject visitors, and that the WHO familiarise itself with the continent’s culture.

Uganda has 774 confirmed coronavirus cases. According to President Museveni almost half of them are truck drivers transporting good across the region.

Umm Muhammed Umar