From presidential vaccine drop to education plea

1 February 2026, 18:40

By Ekel Bonny Daniel

In 2012, at Angagura Primary School in Pader District, H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni stood before parents, health workers, and local leaders to launch a national polio and measles immunisation campaign.

The President personally administered drops of polio vaccine to Amito Elizabeth, a symbolic act meant to demonstrate the government’s commitment to protecting Uganda’s future.

Her life was later safeguarded through routine immunisations and the careful upbringing by her mother, Ms Labong Concy, a peasant farmer from Lajwat Tek Village, Lajeng Parish, Laguti Subcounty.

Thirteen years later, that baby has grown into a healthy, determined young girl. Her name is Amito Elizabeth, she is 14 years old, and she has just completed Primary Seven, passing her Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) with an aggregate of 15.

Today, Amito is standing at a crossroads not because of lack of ability or discipline, but because of poverty.

Amito’s mother, Ms Labong Concy, a peasant farmer from Lajwat-Tek Village, Lajeng Parish, Laguti Subcounty, says her daughter’s story is living proof that government programmes work when supported by committed parents.

Her mother is now appealing to the same state that once saved her child’s life to help her continue her education at secondary level.

“I am speaking out today because my second child was born in 2012, and during the polio vaccination launch at Angagura Primary School, President Museveni himself put the life-saving vaccine drop into her mouth,” Labong said.

She added that she ensured Amito completed all routine vaccinations and later enrolled her in Okinga Primary School, a government-aided primary school located in Acholi-bur Subcounty, Pader District.

“Despite being a peasant farmer, I struggled to pay my daughter’s school requirements from nursery up to Primary Seven, but I can no longer afford her secondary education because my first-born child is already in Senior Three,” Labong said.

Labong is now respectfully appealing to the President to support her daughter’s secondary education.

“I am appealing to the President to help educate this child whose life he saved; I do not want her education to end at primary level,” she said.

Speaking calmly but with determination, Amito expressed gratitude to both her mother and the President.

“I thank the President for saving my life through the polio vaccine; without it, I would not be healthy today,” she said.

She described her daily struggle to access education, saying she walked about five kilometres on foot every school day from her village to Okinga Primary School.

“From Monday to Friday, I walked to and from school and sometimes studied while hungry, but I never gave up,” she said.

Amito says her dream is to become a doctor so that she can one day save lives and serve her community.

The Deputy Headteacher of Okinga Primary School, Mr Oryema Bosco, confirmed Amito’s good conduct and leadership abilities.

“Amito Elizabeth has been a disciplined and hardworking pupil, and she has also served as a school leader, heading English speaking and debating activities,” Oryema said.

He added that the government-headed Okinga Primary School presented 45 candidates for the 2025 PLE, achieving strong results:

Division One: 2 pupils

Division Two: 41 pupils

Division Three: 2 pupils

Division Four: 0 pupils

Division U: 0 pupils

Pader District recorded a total of 3,505 candidates for the 2025 PLE, achieving 95 First Grades, 1,347 Second Grades, 922 Third Grades, 485 Fourth Grades, 606 in Division U, and 50 absentees.

Amito’s journey highlights the full value of immunisation programmes from saving a child’s life to producing a healthy learner ready to contribute to national development.

A single drop of vaccine administered by the President in 2012 has resulted in a determined young Ugandan with dreams of becoming a medical professional.

Her mother’s appeal is that this national investment be protected through support for secondary education, ensuring that a life saved does not become a dream cut short.

Polio and measles are deadly, vaccine-preventable diseases that can cause paralysis, blindness, or death, and vaccinating children is crucial to protect their health, prevent outbreaks, and ensure they have a chance to grow up healthy and pursue education.