Lockdown: Museveni overrules parliament on relief to vulnerable people

President Museveni has overruled parliament’s decision to halt government’s plan to give relief to vulnerable people in the greater Kampala districts affected by coronavirus lockdown.

Government early this week announced that it will start distribution of food and other essential items to 1.5 million  vulnerable people in Kampala and Wakiso districts so as to mitigate the harsh impact of the coronavirus lockdown announced recently.

However, parliament ordered government to halt the food distribution plan arguing that it should be done throughout the country because the lockdown affected everyone in Uganda.

Speaking during his address to the nation on Friday, the president in a veiled message said he is bothered by “some people” mixing up the relief program with a poverty alleviation program.

“Some people are mixing it up thinking it is an anti-poverty campaign. We are doing emergency but don’t mix it with poverty,”Museveni said.

Confused

Following the decision to give relief to Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts of greater Kampala, several MPs complained that many of their constituents have nothing to eat after the lockdown was announced.

However, speaking on Friday, the president insisted that what government is currently doing is giving temporary relief to Kampala residents who live hand to mouth and have been affected by the current lockdown but not meant to fight poverty.

“The people in towns eat food from money they earn each day they work. These are the people we are going to support and are the ones greatly affected by the anti-coronavirus measures brought by government,” he said.

“Poverty is not an emergency because we have been facing it. Have you just realised it now? I have been telling you. Please don’t mix issues, what we are fighting now is the disease or else you will make us fail by solving nothing in both the long and short term.”

President Museveni insisted that people outside greater Kampala areas are engaged in farming and rearing of animals and were not greatly affected by the lockdown.

He said that if it was about poverty eradication, there are already government programs like Operation Wealth Creation meant to get people out of poverty.

“Let us not mix up issues.”

By his comments, the president therefore, overruled parliament’s directive for government to halt the distribution of relief to the vulnerable.

To confirm this, the Kampala Minister, Betty Amongi said the exercise to give relief would kick off today, Saturday and that it would be done from house to house to avoid crowds.

She noted that the exercise to be carried out by the Office of the Prime Minister will be done together with Local Council One chairpersons.

The Prime Minister, Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda recently said each person will be given 6kg of maize flour and 3kg of beans whereas lactating mothers and the sick will be given powdered milk and 2kg of sugar each.