Covid-19 in Africa: Ugandan MPs forced to repay coronavirus cash, Malawi gives money to poor

A Ugandan court on Wednesday ordered lawmakers to pay back money they had awarded themselves to combat coronavirus. Meanwhile, in Malawi, President Peter Mutharika announced Covid-19 cash packages for the poor to help them survive the pandemic over the next three-months. 

The high court in Uganda has ruled that MPs must pay back any money they received as part of a package they approved to fight coronavirus in their constituencies, local media reported. 

An allocation of 2.4 million euros was paid into the individual accounts of lawmakers earlier in April, according to The Observer newspaper. It must be repaid or transferred to national or district Covid-19 taskforces. 

The money was initially approved as part of a bigger budgetary package and was intended to be used for sensitisation about the virus. 

However, the payment irked President Yoweri Museveni, who described it as “morally reprehensible”.

Some MPs had already refunded the money. Opposition lawmaker Bobi Wine described the payment as “wrong and immoral”, saying he would return the money and not participate in such a “vile” fraud.

“While millions of Ugandans starved & countless lost jobs, the Parliament of Uganda allocated itself 10bn shs ($2.7m) & gave each Member 20m! Not even a court order or public outcry could stop them. Wrong & immoral! I've returned this money & will not partake in a fraud so vile”, Wine tweeted.

Malawi’s emergency cash transfer programme 

Authorities in Malawi on Tuesday announced cash payments would be made to the most vulnerable, helping them cope during the Covid-19 crisis. 

President Peter Mutharika said vulnerable households would be paid 43 euros per month for a three-month period, according to the Nyasa Times. 

Malawi’s government has been blocked by the country’s courts from implementing a coronavirus lockdown because no assistance was provided for those in need. 

This article originally appeared in Radio France Internationale. [Photo: AFP/Sumy Sadurni]