Government is considering including vulnerable people outside the Kampala metropolitan area on the list of people to receive food.
The revelation was made by Matia Kasaija, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development while responding to a concern raised by Agaba Abbas, (Kitagendwa County) who tasked Government to explain whether there are plans to distribute food to people outside Kampala metropolitan.
Agaba attributed the pressure MPs are receiving from the population on the Shs10Bn COVID-19 funds on the failure by to run to the aid of the vulnerable people across the country, instead of just those in Kampala.
Speaker Rebecca Kadags informed MPs that each district has been allocated Shs165Mn for Coronovirus and the funds can be used to buy food for their people however Kasaija noted that this is meant to help the task force in the district.
The Minister informed MPs that since donations have increased he will take their proposal to the task force to see how the vulnerable poor upcountry can be catered for.
Minister Kasaija said, “The money to districts is meant to transport samples that have to be taken to Entebbe. It’s a new situation. This Government is there because of the people, I am taking this message to the Prime Minister, the National Taskforce is meeting again on Tuesday to look at the possibility of taking good even upcountry. People have contributed food, cash, the latest I got is about Shs5Bn. With some of that money, we have capacity to spread to the country side.”
It should be recalled that Parliament allocated Shs52Bn to the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness for the purchase of food, but the process was overshadowed by the poor quality of beans that was being by Aponye Company Limited, before UPDF took over the food distrubution through Operation Wealth Creation.
