Don’t politicize relief efforts – Crispin Kaheru

By Francis Otucu

On Saturday, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who heads Uganda’s Coronavirus Response Team launched  the country’s relief food distribution campaign.

The test run that mainly targets vulnerable groups like the elderly and sick that have been affected by a nation-wide lockdown started in Bwaise Kawempe Division, Kampala.

He said Saturday; orphanages, hospitals and barracks will be given priority.

Beneficiaries are being given sugar, milk, maize flour and beans.

Commenting on the campaign, an Independent Electoral expert, Crispin Kaheru said the intervention is welcome.

“It is however people’s expectation that government actively promotes a fair distribution system of this relief assistance,” he noted, adding, “Food distribution should indeed and in fact favor the vulnerable urban poor affected by the lockdown.”

To this, he appealed to government to keep politics out the intervention.

“I call on government to avoid politicizing such relief efforts. Deserving citizens should be given priority to quickly and easily obtain this food, irrespective of their political affiliation, religious and ethnic background. In the past, such well-intentioned relief programs have been, unfortunately, manipulated for political mileage and/or as tools for retribution. The people will expect government to rise above petty politics and ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness as it distributes the food,” he said.

The distribution is expected to be rolled out of Kampala and Wakiso districts in favor of urban towns across the country.