L-R: Martha Isabella Achan Legal Officer Ministry of Health, Ruth Aceng Minister of Health and Brian Luswata Principal Legal Officer Ministry of Health appearing before Health Committee to present Public Health Amendment Bill.
Government through the Ministry of Health is seeking to fine all individuals who neglect cutting grass and leave it to overgrow to be fined Shs1Million, according to a proposal in the Public Health Amendment Bill 2022.
Government is seeking to make amendments in section 95 of principal Act by imposing new fines on people who fail to maintain short grass in their homes and buildings.
Section 95 of the current act stipulates; No person shall within a municipality or town permit any premises or lands owned or occupied by him or her or over which he or she has control to become so overgrown with bush or long grass as, in the opinion of a medical officer of health, to be likely to harbour mosquitoes.
In the proposed amendments, An owner or an occupier who contravenes the provision commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty currency points (approximately Shs1M) and to a further fine not exceeding one currency points for each day on which the offence continues after conviction.
However, the proposal falls short of explaining what length grass is deemed overgrown.
When Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng appeared before the Committee to introduce the Bill, Charles Ayume (Koboko Municipality MP) raised concern over the fine imposed on corporate bodies that contravene sections in the Public Health Act.
Section 133C spells out on offences committed by body corporate stipulating, “Where an offence under this Act or rules made under this Act is committed by a body corporate, the body corporate is liable to a fine not exceeding five hundred currency points.”
Ayume said there is need to make the fines more punitive, “Some of these corporate bodies are big in terms of revenue they generate, so Shs5M is a drop in the ocean, so I think those are areas we need to look into as a committee to see, can the fine be fire enough to be able to deter them from repeating some of these things.”
The Chairperson Health Committee also said the Public Health Amendment Bill will also regulate cemeteries and funeral service providers to ensure that burials are conducted within the health guidelines to contain spread of diseases.
He explained, “Public Health doesn’t only look at those who are alive, but even how we dispose of the remains of bodies and clothing of those who are dead. And we have associations of funeral homes, those also have to be regulated and given guideline under which to they operate. So it is important that the act ensures that those people work within set guidelines.”
