Uganda: Tayebwa clarifies remarks on nurses, affirms their leadership credentials

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has clarified that his remarks on nurses were intended to recognise their professional competence and academic achievements, including their ability to hold leadership positions. Tayebwa said his remarks during the House sitting on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, highlighted that nurses can attain advanced qualifications and should not be regarded as less capable of providing leadership. “But I think the public should know that there are nurses who have PhDs, we are taking it as if nurses are so low,” Tayebwa said during Tuesday’s sitting. This followed concerns raised by the Leader of Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, about a nurse heading the Pharmacy Department at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Explaining his intervention, Tayebwa said he had sought to challenge the perception that a nursing background necessarily made someone unsuitable for a leadership position. He reiterated that nurses are accomplished professionals whose qualifications and abilities should be recognised. His clarification followed the circulation of a video posted on social media by a journalist identified as Paul Ssebaduka, which Tayebwa said had been edited to portray

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