A new king's first days as monarch: get every Ugandan child vaccinated

The day after his September 29 coronation, the newly crowned Omukama of Tooro, Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, carried one message from Karuziika Palace — bring every child aged 9 months to under five for free measles and rubella shots. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi opened the five-day nationwide drive at Wakiso Health Centre IV on October 1, with health workers fanning out to clinics, markets, mobile posts and doorsteps through October 5. The urgency is real: in 2025, measles struck 66 Ugandan districts — more than 10,163 cases and 60 deaths, mostly children who had never been vaccinated at all.