Jinja leaders demand more Covid relief funds
Jinja City Mayor Peter Okocha Kasolo (left) hands over mosquito nets to leaders of Jinja Central Market on July 6. Leaders in Jinja City have asked government to increase the number of beneficiaries of the Covid-19 relief funds in their area. PHOTO / DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Mr Alton Kasolo Okocha, the Jinja City mayor, said the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development should increase the number of beneficiaries because most residents in the city are financially unstable.
Leaders in Jinja City have asked government to increase the number of beneficiaries for the Covid-19 relief funds in their area.
According to the proposed list of beneficiaries in cities and municipalities, out of 501,107 beneficiaries, in Jinja City only 7,407 will benefit from the Covid relief cash.
Mr Alton Kasolo Okocha, the Jinja City mayor, said the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development should increase the number of beneficiaries because most residents in the city are financially unstable.
“Jinja City has more than 50,000 residents, so 7,407 is a very small number. Jinja is the second largest city after Kampala. If the beneficiaries in Kampala are more than 150,000, then 100,000 households should benefit in Jinja because most of the residents liveon hand-to-mouth and are no longer working,’’ he said.
He said the figure sent to the Office of the Prime Minister was for a trading centre, not a city.
Ms Sirina Kyakuwaire, the deputy speaker of Jinja City Council, said it is unfair for a municipality to receive more relief funds than a city.
“Neighbouring Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District has 13,607 beneficiaries of Covid-19 relief funds,” she said.
Mr Ayub Wabika, the Jinja Northern Division mayor, said Jinja is the headquarters of Busoga which has the largest percentage of poor people in Uganda.
“The number that was selected is just for a sub-division yet we have many vulnerable people. The biggest population is the boda boda and taxi business, while others are casual labourers in factories. But they are all at home with nothing to eat because they can’t access their workplaces,’’ he said.
On June 30, the government identified 16 vulnerable groups eligible to receive Shs100,000 Covid-19 relief cash including taxi drivers, boda boda riders, single mothers, youth in slum areas, and salon operators.
Cabinet later resolved that the registration of beneficiaries will be conducted by officials of Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) and town clerks.
