IMPORTANCE OF PAYING ATTENTION TO EVIDENCE

First, we regret that due to inclement weather, we could not produce the February 2021 issue. Secondly, we wish to express our most sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones from COVID-19 or other illnesses. Prominent among them are the former President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, the First Vice President of Tanzania and other senior government officials in East and Southern Africa.  We also congratulate Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first female president of Tanzania. Furthermore, we congratulate all the frontline workers who risked their lives during the pandemic so that others could live. Though 2021 started out badly, we are thankful that it has taken a turn for the better, since African countries have now started to get their COVID-19 vaccines.

The March 2021 issue is devoted to the importance of paying attention to evidence. Though the selected articles cover different areas of human endeavors, they do complement each other to illustrate the point regardless of whether it concerns diseases, human relations or physical matter.

 In the first article Peter Kagwanja highlights the populist response to COVID-19, which the late President Magufuli described as “divine intervention. The author describes the tip of the iceberg of many lives lost and serious illnesses suffered as a result ignoring scientific evidence showing that the pandemic is real and cannot simply be prayed away.

In the second article, the editor delves into what to look for before one decides whether one should or should not take the COVID-19 vaccine. The analysis hopefully will also be useful for those who might be called upon to assist others who may not be knowledgeable enough to make informed decisions about the vaccine.

The veteran columnist, Johnathan Power, reminds us of the consequence of ignoring warning signals of pandemics and calls world governments to be collectively prepared for future pandemics.

The last two articles are dedicated to celebrations of special days. In the fifth article, Eng. Andrew Ambazimana, shares his perspectives on celebrating engineers and engineering practice in Uganda. The theme of the celebration was “World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development” which occurred on March 4th.

Robert Adongakulu shares his appreciation for the women in his life when he celebrated the International Women’s Day, on March 8^th. The author calls for responsible celebration of the annual event and to highlight what progressive men do which demonstrates their love for the women in their lives.