By Joel Mugabi
A group of Ugandans living with disabilities have stormed the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala protesting the decision by government not to include them on the list of vulnerable people that should receive the Shs100,000 each to take them through the 42-day lock down.
Government will have sent just over Shs50bn to at least 500,000 vulnerable Ugandans by the end of a disbursement exercise that started last week. The lock down started on June 18 and will end towards the end of this month. It is not clear if it will be lifted, eased or totally removed.
Now, about two weeks to the end of this lock down, and with the process of disbursement of relief funds frustratingly slow, a number of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have stormed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s office, demanding immediate inclusion on the list of beneficiaries.
Despite police deploying at the office, the PWDs swore not to leave the premises of the OPM until they have been included on the list and offered food, saying they wouldn’t return home to die of hunger. Some even claimed their colleagues had died of hunger since they couldn’t find what to eat.
Weeks ago, the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (Nudipu), a body that brings together PWD organisations, urged Government to include Persons with Disabilities on the list of Covid19 relief package beneficiaries, but their calls were ignored. (For comments on this story, call, text or whatsapp us on 0705579994, 0779411734, 0200900416 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).