By Ritah Kemigisa
The Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has revealed that the government is to use the National Identification Registration Authority, NIRA list and local leaders to identify the most vulnerable people.
On Sunday, the government revealed that it will send covid19 relief tokens to vulnerable groups affected by the second lockdown that started on Friday night through mobile money.
Speaking on NBS TV this morning, Nabbanja says unlike the method used in the first lockdown, using mobile money will cut many administrative costs, minimize wastage and kick out the middlemen problem.
“Following the experience of 2020 lockdown where we used a huge number of people to deliver food in the peripheral of Kampala and neighboring districts, it was quite expensive,” said Ms Nabbanja
She adds that for people without mobile phones, “we can use the voucher system, this system has been used in South Africa, Namibia and other big economies.”
Nabbanja meanwhile explains why they think giving out cash is better than food rations.
“There are some people we gave Posho the other time and yet some of them are diabetic and don’t eat it. So they got the same Posho we gave them and sold it cheaply. If you give somebody money, they can go to Kalerwe and buy some matooke and survive for a day,” said Ms Nabbanja.
On who qualifies to be as vulnerable, Nabbanja says ‘Vulnerable people are commonly known’ further giving examples of people who have not worked for a full year, street vendors, orphans, street children, people whose businesses have been closed, bar attendants among others.
