Abstract
This study focuses on the communication strategies employed by the Ugandan government in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a mixed method approach, including interviews, questionnaires and content analysis. A sample size of 400 was drawn for the survey, five community leaders and health workers were interviewed and 270 COVID-19 media reports were used for the content analysis. The findings showed that the government of Uganda did not engage in dialogue at the grassroots level. Secondly, it was found that the media generally reported on the spread of the virus and the number of daily deaths. However, the findings also showed that the media largely supported and complemented the government’s efforts. Finally, little or no effort was made to engage with communities before major preventive and protective measures were announced and enforced by the government. It was suggested that grassroots dialogue and community engagement must be carried out before major decisions are made by the government if they are to be effective in the future.
Highlights
Would the world be a better, or even a different, place if the public understood more of the scope and the limitations, findings, and methods of science? The Bodmer Report (1985) attempted to answer this question and suggested that if those in positions of responsibility had a better understanding of what science and technology can achieve, British industries would be even more competitive
The researchers sought to answer the following question: RQ4: What is the effect of community engagement on the public understanding of the preventive and protective measures put in place by the government of Uganda?
March 18th was the day of the first presidential broadcast concerning the pandemic and it set the tone for the rest of the preventive and protective measures put in place by the government throughout the pandemic period
Summary
Would the world be a better, or even a different, place if the public understood more of the scope and the limitations, findings, and methods of science? The Bodmer Report (1985) attempted to answer this question and suggested that if those in positions of responsibility had a better understanding of what science and technology can achieve, British industries would be even more competitive. There is neither a vaccine nor a confirmed medication, so governments around the world rely mostly on communicating life saving measures to the general public- implementing social distancing guidelines, stay at home and work from home orders, lockdowns in some major cities around the world and a whole lot of other measures. This would be all but impossible if the people do not get the information properly. This study seeks to assess the communication approaches adopted by the Ugandan government in addressing the issue of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of such approaches in Uganda
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