Renown motivational Speaker and social entrepreneur Frank Gashumba has applauded the Prime Minister of Uganda Robinah Nabbanja for taking a wise decision to extend financial aid instead of food relief to vulnerable Ugandans affected by the second Covid-19 lockdown.
Appearing on Sanyu a TV’s xpress show on Monday, Gashumba said it was turn for the poor to alsobenjoy government’s money.
“I support prime minister Nabbanja’s mobile money decision. It is time for the poor to enjoy the government’s money also. We have crooks/thieves in government who always think they are entitled to government money. What makes you think people want posho?… Send them money so they can buy food of their choice,” Gashumba noted.
On Sunday, The National Covid-19 task force team led by the Prime Minister resolved to extend financial aid instead of food to the vulnerable groups that are affected by the second lockdown.
“We have decided that any support that will be provided to the persons most affected by the lockdown will be through cash tokens and not physical food distribution.Money will be sent using mobile money and the voucher system,”Nabbanja told the media after a meeting with fellow Covid-19 taskforce members.
During the first lockdown in March 2020, government provided vulnerable Ugandans with maize flour and beans. Unfortunately majority of the people never received the food relief.
While announcing the second lockdown to contain the spread of the pandemic in the East African country on Friday, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the Office of the Prime Minister to liase with the National Taskforce on Covid-19 to come up with means on how Ugandans who will be affected by the 42 days would be catered for.
The new measures the President put up include; suspension of private and public transport across the country for 42 days, immediate closure of Kikuubo and other business centres among other directives.
“Kikuubo and other Business Centres should be closed, and the situation reverts to the Presidential Directive of March 2020. Those kikuubo are very dangerous,” the President said.
He also noted that food market vendors should continue operating as long as they revert to the Presidential Directive of March 2020 to stay in their places of work.
” Food market vendors should camp at their places of work. The ministry of health can give them free bed nets so that they are not bitten by mosquitoes. We (guerrilla fighters ) used to sleep in the bush.”
He also permitted all retail shops across the country to continue operating.
” For our lives to continue, the following sectors should remain fully open; agriculture, industry, especially manufacturing and tourism; cargo transport , utilities, security, retail shops, health & medical services.”
On the other hand, Museveni directed Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) , Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) , and Local Government authorities to close and seal off all the bars that have made it a tendency to operate while their ban still stands
” Police should accordingly arrest and charge with hefty fines imposed
for reopening. It serves no purpose in arresting the revelers while allowing the owners to reopen the following morning.”
Museveni has also revised curfew time from 9pm- 6pm to 7pm to 5.30am.
“It is observed that some sections of the public are not adhering to the curfew hours.As such, curfew throughout the country is pulled back to 7pm to 5.30am, Boda-Bodas will only be allowed to move only up to 5pm.”
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