The plan to get 10,000/= from each of 1.5 workers angers Ugandans

By; Jjunju Francis

18^th May 2020

The Lord Mayor Makindye Division Ali Kasirye Nganda alias Mulyanyama has added his voice to a number of those Ugandans who are opposed to the request made by the National response COVID-19 task force responsible for soliciting for aid towards the assistance to COVID-19.

In a press conference held yesterday the National Response Covid-19 Fund made an appeal asking formal workers through their CEOs to donate Shs10, 000 each, to complement government’s efforts in the fight against coronavirus.

The contribution for the months of May and June 2020 from the companies and organizations would contribute about Shs30 billion, with at least Shs15 billion coming directly from the 1.5 million employees, according to Patrick Mweheire, the chairman Fundraising Subcommittee National Response Fund to Covid-19

The committee headed by Minister Mary Kalolo Okurut was established by President Museveni to mobilise resources from the private sector to supplement an already strained Ministry of Health in its combat against the Covid-19 pandemic that has so far collected 27 Billion Shs, over 30 vehicles and food. The team budged at least 170 billion shs needed to purchase testing kits, Personal Protective Equipment PPEs among other necessities for treating COVID-19 Patients.

Kasirye Nganda says it would not be at this time that such an appeal is made when every person has been confined at home without any income yet spending on social needs.

On the issue of distributing food in Makidye division Nganda Mulanyama said in Makindye East they are currently in Bukasa and Kansanga and by Thursday they will in Gambia while in Makindye West they are almost finished with Makindye II and Luwafu they will be going to Salaama and Buziga although the demand for food is still overwhelming. He says another challenge was caused by the wrong national data that put the division at a population of 300,000 people yet its far beyond.

He has appealed to government to devise means of allowing people to resume work under strict precautionary measure because people have used all the small amounts of money they had kept.