On 18th of June 2021, the president announced a total lock up of the Country commonly known as a lock down for 42 days as a measure to curb the upsurge in cases of Covid 19 2nd wave.
In this, all business operations were declared frozen except very few only classified as “essentials “.
The president thereafter urged Ugandans to stay home to prevent further contraction, confirming that his led government was committed to provide relief support to them survive through the troubling moments especially the families whose businesses were severely affected by the imposed measures, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Following that, the Prime Minister (PM) Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja addressed the nation confirming that the government was very committed to salvage the starving families with relief aid which she confirmed was to be cash transfer to them this time around as opposed to their approach of solid food hand out distribution of the previous lock up(2020).
For Ugandans wherever her news reached, it was a big step in the right direction. They started to pray for its expeditious implementation. While it was a matter calling for urgent response, it took the power bearers weeks to determine the cash amount for distribution and it’s possible beneficiaries. Eventually 100,000 shs figure was resolved to be disbursed but on conditions that, first,if the beneficiary’s cell phone had never done a transaction of 500,000 shs and above, second, if they were “abawejjere” literally to mean those that are extremely poor, although chose refer to them as the vulnerables in English, before setting in another tougher condition of cashing it out to only one member of the whole house hold for those groups of selected peoples.
This all reminded me of the Animal Farm politics in the Animal Farm book by George Orwel in which seven rules were put in place by animals to realize restraint against excesses by some actors. One of them was,all animal’s common enemy was a man whom they regarded as a selfish character that had subjected them to had labor on his farm before conniving amongst themselves to take over it’s control from him ,all animals are equal, etc,etc.
But when the feasting moment came, the Pigs arguably took the largest share for themselves, because the farm was enormously surviving on their supervisional efforts. Verify, the government agents have time and again chanted slogans justifying the pandemic as our common enemy to be only defeated collectively which is correct, but only to contradict it when it comes to actions.
When the businesses were locked up, the poor and rich suffered, but when the relief aid response was effected, it was only “abawerejjere” as code named, and very few of them the 530,000 targeted households received the 100,000 cash hand-outs of the 53 billion shs that was earmarked for the same.
If at all only very small of the projected beneficiary’s fraction cashed out,where did the balance in whooping billions go?!
Potential beneficiaries in all the proposed catchment areas would be seen biting the bone, who took the flesh?
They have been reported in the media failing to have received any iota of the said money on their cell phones to at least cushion themselves from the effects of the pandemic harsh measures. Was it then Relief Cash to the Affected or a Feast for the Well off Servers?
Be it as it is with the Bible that all men are equal before God,the same principle is not any different with our banana republic rules that require all men to be equal before them. But why does it become and remain a common practice by a certain class (clique) of people here to squander public resources with impunity? Incidentally the stolen resources are a contribution of the citizens that are called “abawejjere” from their hard earned incomes. They are the payers of taxes which translates into heavy wages, emoluments and salaries for public officials. All men are equal, yes, but some are more equal than others!
Evil is becoming much in the system and if it does not stop but continues to shine unrestrained the way it is, then our blessed motherland is not far from heading to the lane of the citizenry insurrection, its birth pains are….. When Mr. Johns in the Animal Farm novel dropped his farm responsibilities, it was taken away from him by his own hungry animals, kicked him out, the rest was history.
When the corrupt are not tamed, the nation is a candidate of the worst. God forbid. Uganda is for God and therefore, God must be given a first place in everything. When leaders cease to love God, they can not have love for the people they lead and nation thereafter. (1 John 4:20-21)
Is Cash Transfer Unique to the Uganda Government?
Some government officials have argued that the cash transfer approach which was adopted by the government as one of measures to mitigate the population from the effects of the pandemic is unique to Uganda!
This narrative can not be right. When Africa was struck by the first wave of the pandemic, African nations including Uganda adopted measures in April 2020 to cushion their population from Covid effects.
South Africa had put $ 26 billion (£21) for her economic recovery. $ 2.6 billion out of that went for cash transfer to the affected. $ 38 was disbursed to every child for 6months. Unemployed people there were assisted with $18 per month for 6 months, all not from the loan fund . Nigeria put aside $1.4 billion for a few selected groups(3.6 million people) of the affected with each granted $13. Kenya started with a $93 million Covid 19 support stipend for more than 1 million people starting in Kibera slum and so forth. Rwanda opted for giving all her citizens solid food hand- outs.
Surface to note that , those measures were transparently and successfully realized by those nations. Uganda gave out food rations from the 59 billion that was set aside to a very few out of the many affected, not even reaching a million people, and now cash transfer of 53 billion shs. Therefore, it can not be true that it is Uganda that has started the cash transfer.
In conclusion, all our public offices need a crop of occupants that have truly accepted Jesus Christ to be their personal Lord and Savior, and everything will now be well with us.
By Emmanuel Kirunda- Journalist.
The author is the General Secretary Uganda Journalist Association (UJA).
Contact: 0775271777, 0700861810
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