Correspondent|Ugandan Police are holding a man who was arrested over allegations of impersonation and claiming that he can cure HIV/Aids and Hepatitis B.

Emmanuel Ndali was tracked and arrested by Health Monitoring Unit personnel after he had placed posters on electricity poles along Gayaza Road, at Kubiri along Bwaise road and at Makerere University. The posters state that he cures the deadly virus in 15 days and Hepatitis B in 30 days.

“The team successfully tracked him and recovered the said liquid herb in jerrycans together with other sacks of herbs that he allegedly uses to cure the said diseases. We later got to learn that he did not have any background in medicine or pharmacy,” said Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the ministry of health senior public relations officer.

Ndali told detectives that he would prescribe half a cup of the liquid herb to be taken four times a day. Ndali said he was charging Shs1m for each dose; a dose was 10 litres of the liquid and would be collected in two phases in five litre jerrycan for each phase.

“The liquid herbs will be subjected to laboratory tests in order to ascertain whether it has any active ingredient. It is against the law for anyone to manufacture, sell and distribute medicine purported to cure any ailment in humans without approval of the safety, efficiency and standards by National Drug Authority as per NDA Act,” Mr Ainebyoona added.

It is also against the law for anyone to claim to be or offer a service where they lack such qualifications as per the Penal Code Act.

Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe, charismatic leader of a pentecostal group PHD, Walter Magaya, claimed Sunday that he could cure HIV in fourteen days.

The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has said it takes great exception to the recent claims by Prophet W Magaya that he has found a cure for HIV and AIDS.

ZADHR acknowledges the prophet’s right to freedom of worship and his entitlements to his beliefs, the doctors said.

However, it is the conviction of ZADHR that any claims to cure HIV must only be made in the presence of irrefutable scientific evidence that is obtained through proper and ethical research methodologies.

Such unverified claims have the potential to increase the number of Anti Retroviral Therapy defaulters, increased risky behaviour practices and exposure to potentially harmful side effects of the herbs.