President Museveni has cautioned all traders dealing in food stuff not to hike prices because of the current outbreak of Coronavirus.
Traders across the country, have since President Museveni’s last two addresses where he suspended some businesses, decided to hike food started food prices. For example, the price of a packet of salt which was at Shs600 it’s now at Shs4,000.
He also cautioned those sneezing to stay home.
However, through his address on Tuesday evening, Museveni said that he is to deploy his team that will monitor all shops and markets within city centres to catch those traders hiking prices and cancel their licences definitely.
“If I find anybody hiking prices of food, I will cancel your licences, and you never do any business in Uganda. What has changed to make these prices to go high, Uganda is not like other countries, food is there, cows are there, so what has changed. We shall send our team to monitor and catch these crooks,” he said.
He added that if they insist, he is to deploy his National Resistance Movement team to bring food from village to town.
“I can organise my NRM cadres to bring food from villages and bring things here and sale at a proper price. But I still warn you crooks, please don’t lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil,” he said.
He also advised the public to use soap if crooks are hiking prices of sanitisers. “You don’t need sanitisers, the soap will kill the virus don’t allow these crooks who have hiked prices steal you. These are heartless people, use soap, it will kill the virus, those thieves should not hold you hostage if they hike the prices leave them,” he said.
Museveni also warned that in case the virus persists, public transport is likely to be suspended.
“We still remain with the problem of public transport which is worrying me, remember in my last address I talked about it. If we see that more cases are coming we shall suspend it.”
“Yesterday I was thinking about our factories, if the cities and the town had bicycles by now I will have suspended public transport. I have talked with the Luweero Industry to see that we can have many bicycles because it can be the best answer to this however, If this virus persists we shall suspend the public transport and embark on the bicycles,” he said.
Lastly, he advised the public to: not allow anybody who is coughing or sneezing near you, not undertaking anything without washing hands and to stay at home when sneezing.
On the prices of water, the President promised to discuss the matter in the next Cabinet meeting.
“The situation is managed just stay focused on the guidelines given to you by health ministry, we shall overcome this challenge,” he said.
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