By Elite Reporter
People Power movement leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, who is also the Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, has donated food and other assorted items to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 National Taskforce.
During his Tuesday night national address on Coronavirus, President Yoweri Museveni directed the police and UPDF to arrest all people, especially politicians, donating food to Ugandans during their COVID-19 lockdown, because they risk innocent lives by exposing them to infection.
He thereafter urged anyone who has any donations to hand them over to the COVID-19 National Taskforce, which is mandated with distributing food and relief items to poor Ugandans affected by the lockdown.
It is for that reason that Bobi Wine, through his People Power pressure group has since decided to donate items that include food, sanitizers,
Shortly after announcing the donations, Bobi Wine tweeted thus; “Due to #COVID19 lockdown, many people are starving. I receive countless calls from struggling families. Some boda boda riders are helping us pick items from supermarkets & deliver to some elderly, PWDs & families of slain comrades. We’ve now asked the @MinofHealthUG to pick items.”
According to statement released by Bobi Wine, the MoH officials under the COVID-19 National Taskforce have been told to pick the donations from the People Power movement head offices in Kamwokya, on Tuesday, April 6th, 2020.
Here below is Bobi Wine’s full statement;
“I want to thank boda boda riders who are helping us deliver food relief to some of our most vulnerable people who are starving to near death.
As you all recall, we had kick-started the process of distributing relief items to some very poor people before the government stopped these activities- even when many of us were deliberate on observing social distancing and other precautions.
When this activity was stopped, the question which remained was, what will happen to some of our people, especially those who we have been supporting even before the outbreak of the virus?
Every day, we receive calls from hundreds of people requesting for help. Many of them are starving with children and grandchildren. We had to find a way of assisting at least a few of them during this period.
We discussed with a few supermarket owners and agreed to send them some money using mobile money so that they give food items to boda bodas for delivery to specific homes, the same way they do normal deliveries.
For three days now, a few of our boda-boda team members have been collecting items which are pre-purchased from supermarkets and delivering them to these people. So far, we have reached several people although we know that the need is much bigger.
We have reached out to three categories of people- the very elderly, families of our fallen comrades, and persons with disabilities and this activity is being coordinated by the Women In People Power.
Many elderly people have received some support, plus the families of our fallen comrades Yasin Kawuma, Ritah Nabukenya, Ssewankambo Gilbert (Sweet Pepsi) and Dan Kyeyune. (May their souls rest in peace)
So many people have called us to request that we put in place a channel through which they can donate to this effort. Any contribution should be channelled through Tel. No. 0703636363.
We are also eager to ensure that our support reaches all districts of Uganda and since the National Taskforce has been directed to address this, we are contemplating contributing some of the support through the taskforce for distribution countrywide.
I thank you all, and assure you that with God by our side, we shall pass through this storm.”
Meanwhile, the cases of COVID-19 infections in Uganda has risen to 45, after the ministry of Health announced on Friday that another case had been confirmed.
Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng revealed this in a statement she released on Friday, which she accompanied with a tweet reading thus; “One (1) sample has tested positive for COVID-19 out of 302 samples that were tested at
@UVRI. The Confirmed cases of COVID-19 now stands at 45 in Uganda. #STAYSAFEUG”
