The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Ssalongo Erias Lukwago has proposed that the government should give each household Shs 252,000 in Covid relief food to cover the new 42-day lockdown.
He made the rremarks on Monday shortly after an emergency meeting held with the Kampala RCC, where he stressed that if each individual is given 6,000 on a daily basis for the next 42 days, it will amount to 252,000 in total for them to be able to afford two meals a day.
He says the poor should be identified by Local Council I chairpersons and division mayors and the lists be generated immediately because people are not working, yet they need to survive.
Lukwago’s proposal follow a statement by the leader of gov’t businesses in parliament, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja yesterday when she revealed that government will not extend food relief to vulnerable groups which were affected by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions but will instead give relief using mobile and voucher payments methods.
Nabbanja was addressing the media during a meeting with which involved ministers, technocrats and the nation covid-19 taskforce yesterday.
She said the decision was taken to avoid other challenges that the government encountered during the first lockdown.
During a high level meeting with KCCA leaders, it was adopted that the Authority’s Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka should draw a COVID-19 response budget to enable in procurement of equipments required in the fight against COVID-19.
Last week during a presidential address on COVID-19 current situation, President Museveni directed the ministry of health and KCCA to make all necessary arrangements to ensure all individuals that require medical care and evacuation in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono metropolitan areas are taken care of.
Talking to our reporter however, the KCCA Lord Mayor Lukwago noted shortage of equipments such as Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) for health workers.
“Currently we have only 5 ambulances, we don’t have any procurement of oxygen cylinders, installation of ICU beds in KCCA hospitals and other equipments. How will that the directive be implemented?” Lukwago wondered.
