The Public Health Act (Cap. 281)
This law empowered the Minister of Health to take measures to combat the spread of an infectious disease. Under this law, a number of statutory instruments have been published to implement the measures given by the Presidential directive to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These instruments include:
• Public Health (Notification of COVID-19) Order,
• SI No 45/2020; Public Health (Prevention of COVID-19) (Requirements and Conditions of Entry into Uganda) Order,
• SI No 46/2020; Public Health (Control of COVID-19) Order,
• SI No 52/2020; and Public Health (Prohibition of Entry into Uganda) Order, SI No 53/2020.
Evoking her legal powers,the Minister of Health,Dr Jane Ruth Aceng initiated a whole statutory instrument to fortify the classification of essentiality called Public Health (Control of COVID-19) Rules, 2020
Specifically,Statutory Instrument 52 of 2020 was used to oppress the church through controlling public gatherings and meetings among other aspects.For clarity,I restate it below.
Rule 9. Control of public gatherings, meetings, etc
(1) The places and the premises and the activities, events, meetings and gatherings, as the case may be,
specified in this subrule shall be closed or banned, respectively, until the date specified—
(c) prayers in churches and mosques and open air prayers, banned until 19th May 2020;
except where the people gathered are not more than 10;
These rules were to expire upon notification by the Minister of Health.
In this near-universal crisis, the government enlisted the armed forces to help in combating the pandemic through an enhanced Civil- Military Cooperation program.The National Security Council set up an Inter-Agency Joint Task Force (JTF) at National and Regional levels to support the Ministry of Health in combatting CODIV 19 . The JTF was led by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces’ (UPDF) Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.
This was designed to leverage on the security forces national command network with experienced emergency response and disciplined manpower who could be deployed at relatively short notice to help supplement civilian frontline services during national emergency situations; ensuring observance of the mandatory quarantine and ensuring compliance to the guidelines.
Like a rhythmically well orchestrated acoustic tune,the above legal strategy speaks to the deep long term goal that affected the operation of the
church.In Prophet Elvis Mbonyes words,the church was found disunited;ill prepared;disorganised;unresponsive to and passionately vitriolic to prophetic perspective and counsel he presented as tool of to leveling up,subduing and thwarting such a crafty agenda.The icing on the cake was a church leadership heavily bankrolled and sadly choking on governmental patronage,privilege and protection so choking to offer heavenly wisdom to the politicians about their choices towards the church in that day.
Like an organised,coached and seasoned choir with one flow of hymn, many leaders jubilantly responded in unison "oh hail the lockdown of the church." Sweet to the ear,seemingly relevant to the moment,justified in the eyes of many but stinkingly disgusting to the Lord Jesus Christ,a true assault to the spiritual heritage of the church punctuated with the demonstration of supernatural feats like the use of Prophecy as the choicest course of directing global and national agenda.
*Birthing a new era: The Remnant Identity Coalition.*