By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
Mbale City is set to phase out all Village Health Team (VHT) members who are illiterate and those aged above 45 years.
This was revealed by James Kutosi, the Mbale City Public Relations Officer, while speaking to our reporter today, Monday, 24th August, 2026
According to Kutosi, the directive is from the Ministry of Health. He said some VHTs are too old to conduct voluntary work such as distributing mosquito nets and helping health workers vaccinate children, among other government duties.
He noted that some VHTs cannot read and write, yet they are required to record data and send it to city authorities. This has forced the authorities to phase them out and replace them with young people who can read and write.
Kutosi said the process of phasing them out will begin soon, adding that other districts have already implemented the government’s directive.
Some of the affected VHTs, who preferred anonymity, have urged city authorities not to phase them out as if they are useless, but to retain them in the system to guide the newly recruited VHTs.
They asked the city authorities to avail them with gumboots which had been promised before phasing them out since they are already available.
One of the officers from Mbale city health department says gumboots are already in the stores and all VHTs, both outgoing and incoming are going to be given before next week urging them to be calm.
