Uganda: MP arrested for distributing food during lockdown

Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was arrested by police on Sunday evening for distributing relief food to his constituents during the coronavirus lockdown.

A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest, saying the legislator had directly contravened a presidential order and ignored the guidelines of the Covid-19 taskforce on food distribution to vulnerable people.

Zaake’s arrest comes just hours after he criticised the government’s handling of the coronavirus on social media and admitted to distributing food to starving members of his constituency.

“I have been clandestinely giving out food relief to my constituents, this I will not stop doing. In the same spirit, today we have successfully shared more food items in Mityana”, he wrote.

That was followed by another post just four hours later, explaining that the authorities had raided his home looking to arrest him “for the crime of sharing food with starving people”.

In a recent televised address, President Yoweri Museveni said any politicians caught unofficially distributing food aid would be arrested and charged with attempted murder.

He said if any wanted to help with the food relief effort, they should hand over any supplies to the national taskforce.

The country has so far confirmed 55 cases of the virus.

Photo: ubctvuganda