Uganda starts Covid cash handouts

By Patricia Oyella

The Ugandan government has begun distributing Covid relief money to people affected by the second lockdown.

About half a million people living in urban areas will benefit from the 53.7bn Ugandan shillings ($15m; £10m) set aside for the exercise.

The money will be distributed through mobile money services with each beneficiary expected to receive $29.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja launched the exercise in the capital, Kampala.

The beneficiaries will include slum dwellers, food vendors, waiters, club bouncers, restaurant workers, musicians, comedians, taxi drivers, single mothers, teachers and support staff in private schools as well as those in government schools who are not on the payroll.

Many of them are unable to work because of the current lockdown restrictions.

Beneficiaries without mobile phones, or whose phone details are not up to date, will receive receive the money from a local bank.

By the start of the exercise on Thursday, just over 100,000 people had been verified to receive the money.

About 1.4 million people received food items from the government during last year's lockdown.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]