Kampala — Rubaga South MP Ken Lukyamuzi has said he will mobilise the public and lead a demonstration against spraying DDT in Uganda.

"If the Government does not provide alternatives to the fight against malaria, I will not hesitate to call Ugandans to oppose the spraying of this toxic chemical in people's households," Lukyamuzi said. He told the press at Parliament yesterday that the Government had no legal base to re-introduce DDT in Uganda.

"If the likes of Idi Amin could not resist the global pressure to stop the use of DDT, the Government is expected to see beyond this," Lukyamuzi said.

Health minister Brig. Jim Muhwezi recently said Cabinet had approved a plan to spray DDT against mosquitoes to fight malaria in Uganda.

"The declaration by our minister was a disaster and projected the highest level of irresponsibility. There is no room for DDT in Uganda, we have markets for produce like fish and fruits, which we have to protect," he added.

Lukyamuzi said the Government has no medicine for malaria in most hospitals and was responsible for the depletion of the environment.

He said, "As parliamentarians, we need to carry out a massive anti-malaria campaign similar to that on HIV/AIDS and also create a committee on malaria."