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Ugandan activists condemn Trump’s executive order on HIV funding

30 January 2025, 6:56 pm

By Byamukama Alozious

Ugandan activists are outraged over President Trump’s recent executive order to halt foreign services, including those providing antiretroviral therapy (ARVs) to people living with HIV. This decision has sparked widespread fear among the 1.4 million Ugandans living with HIV, who rely heavily on US-funded programs for their treatment.

According to Ms. Kyomukama Flavia, Executive Director of the National Forum of People Living with HIV Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU), “President Trump is deliberately playing games with people’s lives, when he knows how effective this program is, and that it makes America stronger, safer and more prosperous.”

Grace Naiga, the Executive Director of Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV (UGANET), emphasised the far-reaching consequences of the funding freeze, particularly in humanitarian settings for refugee settlements, clients with cases in court, women and girls seeking justice, children, men, and women. “It’s a difficult situation especially for us activists, we don’t know what to tell people,”She said.

Naiga highlighted the challenges faced by activists, health workers, and clients since January 24, when the executive order was received. “How do you wake up and tell someone to go home? It’s been a difficult situation for us, for the workers, but also for the very many clients that have walked to different points of services and been told to go home.”

Grace Naiga, the executive director Uganet speaking to the press in Ntinda.

The activists are calling on Trump to reconsider his decision, emphasising the devastating consequences it will have on the lives of millions of Ugandans living with HIV. Some of the consequences include disruption in access to life-saving treatment, risking the lives of 1.4 million Ugandans living with HIV, a surge in children born with HIV, an increase in new HIV infections, a rise in Tuberculosis (TB) cases and related deaths, worsening mental health issues, and loss of livelihoods for community health workers.

The activists are urging the Ugandan government to prioritise domestic resources for HIV programs and uphold international commitments to allocate 15% of the national budget to the health sector.

Their demands include that Trump must immediately rescind and reverse the stop-work order for PEPFAR, invest in the health sector to build resilience and reduce reliance on external funding