Ugandans Start Receiving Covid-19 Relief Funds

The government has today kicked off the process of sending money to some vulnerable Ugandans affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, ending days of waiting.

Yesterday, the minister of Labor Employment and Industrial Relations; Charles Engola while appearing before the Covid-19 Taskforce for Parliament said the disbursement of the relief funds had been postponed for a week in order to verify the data that has been so far collected. This was after it was discovered that some people who were never targeted for support has their names included among those to get the money.

However contrary to the minister’s statement, today the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja launched the exercise by sending money to some of the beneficiaries. Godfrey Oloya a boda boda rider from Gulu became the first person to receive the Sh 100,000.

Nabbanja said that 50 percent of the data is currently ready and beneficiaries are going to receive their money today. She added that in places like Kampala where the data is yet to be verified, they are going to receive their money in the coming days.

While declaring a national wide lockdown, President Museveni ordered that the most vulnerable people whose economic activities were interrupted should receive assistance form government.

53billion Shillings was earmarked to be distributed to 503,000 households in Kampala and 41 municipalities and 10 cities to help them go through the 42-day lockdown announced to stop the spread of the second wave of Covid-19.  But almost three weeks after the lockdown was announced on June 18, the government had not yet  fulfilled its commitment.