Unchecked plunder of assets, chaos, killings... this isn’t normal
If you are an accountability freak, don’t count on the public to pay attention when you uncover massive fraud in public funds somewhere. You will be disappointed.
With only 53 psychiatrists for its 50 million people, Uganda cannot enjoy robust mental health. At this ratio of one psychiatrist for one million people, it would take over 172 years for each of us to have a 30-minute session for psychoanalysis with a professional for a proper diagnosis and prescription. That is if the psychiatrists work 365 days a year for eight hours a day, and assuming zero childbirths for nearly two centuries, a near-impossibility as we are among the world’s most fertile nations. Most of Africa isn’t much better.
In May 2022 just as we were emerging from the Covid thing, Uganda’s Health Ministry released a harsh statistic; 14 million of us had a mental illness, meaning then that 32 percent were afflicted. Thankfully, a more scientifically rigorous review later in the government’s State of Uganda Population Report 2025 found that the mentally ill fellows are “only” about 25 percent of the population. Given our high birth rates, this percentage may still mean 14 million people being mentally unwell. No wonder, if you act strangely, people mutter “14 million” under their breath.
