Three Nabweru schools closed over measles-rubella vaccination

1 October 2026, 8:37 pm

By Edwin Okurmu Kisa

Three primary schools in Nabweru, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District, have been temporarily closed after failing to comply with the Ministry of Health directive requiring children aged nine months to five years (59 months) to receive the measles-rubella vaccine.

The closure follows the launch of a nationwide five-day measles-rubella vaccination campaign running from October 1 to October 5, 2026.

The campaign is free and is being conducted at health facilities, schools, markets and temporary community outreach posts. It aims to close immunity gaps, increase uptake of the second routine measles-rubella dose and respond to recent measles outbreaks across the country.

The affected schools are Light Islamic School in Nabweru South I, Skylight School and Nabweru Community Nursery and Islamic Primary School.

A team from the Nansana Division Health Department, including Health Assistant Fredrick Nabikamba, Health Inspector Fatumah Nanyanzi and Health Assistant Josephine Namukabya, visited the schools and directed them to close temporarily until children in the target age group receive and present measles-rubella vaccination certificates.

Nabikamba said all eligible children should be vaccinated to protect them against measles and rubella. He urged parents to support the exercise and allow their children to receive the vaccines.

He said parents who do not want their children vaccinated at school can take them to any health centre, where the vaccines are also available free of charge.

Nabikamba said health workers had gone to the affected schools to conduct the vaccination exercise, but school authorities did not allow them to proceed.

He warned political leaders and other authorities against interfering with the exercise, saying such interference could disrupt the vaccination campaign.

He added that the health department would continue taking action against schools that fail to comply with the vaccination directive.

At Light Islamic School, the head teacher, Nandawula Joweria, said the school had no objection to the vaccination exercise, but some parents had refused to allow their children to be vaccinated.

She also said there had been limited sensitisation of the public about the campaign, with some parents unaware of its importance and concerned that the vaccines could be harmful to their children.

The Director of Studies at Skylight School said the school had received a letter from the municipal health office asking it to prepare pupils for the vaccination exercise.

However, he said parents did not give the school permission to proceed with the vaccination of their children.

At Nabweru Community School, head teacher Musa Mugoya said the school normally complies with government vaccination exercises.

Mugoya said he had held a meeting with parents and health workers to explain the vaccination exercise, but some parents rejected it.

He said the school was still trying to convince the parents to allow their children to receive the vaccines through consent forms issued during the meeting.

Mugoya said the short time available for the campaign made it difficult for the school to fully sensitise parents.

He urged the government to consider conducting some vaccination exercises at children’s homes to reduce conflicts between health teams, schools and parents.

He also asked the health team to return to the school the following day to continue the vaccination exercise.