The Prime Minister of Uganda Robinah Nabbanja has asked opposition Members of Parliament and Ugandans at large to appreciate the little money government is going to give out to vulnerable groups as Covid-19 relief cash instead of criticizing the arrangement.
Appearing on NTV on Friday, the Kakumiro Woman legislator noted that currently the government coffers are empty and the little they got for the vulnerable poor was through suppressing and foregoing some projects.
“Ugandans must appreciate the fact that we have managed to find a small figure to enable the COVID-19 relief program. We had to suppress some other sectors to get the money. This is why it is very little,” Nabbanja said.
She also explained that in the case in a family, a father and a mother are both in the listed groups of the vulnerable people, they will only give the most vulnerable.
“In the case of more than one COVID-19 relief beneficiary, we will give the most vulnerable one. If the husband is a boda-boda rider and the wife a bar attendant, we will give the wife considering the husband can still work.”
Nabbanja’s reaction follows a call by the opposition MPs to double the relief fund saying that the Shs100,000 was not enough to cater for the needs of the beneficiaries.
The Maps who addressed the media on Thursday, 01 July 2021 at Parliament, pointed out that such interventions should first be processed through Parliament for proper planning.
Mityana District Woman MP and Shadow Minister for Information, Joyce Bagala said that the proposed intervention is welcome but requires extensive debate in regard to the amount.
“This money is not enough; it should be doubled. We also need to ensure transparency of expenditure of such funds,” she said.
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