KAMPALA – The Inter Religious Council of Uganda has joined the Office of the Prime Minister in the mobilization and distribution of food to Ugandans adversely affected by coronavirus.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign at James Church of Uganda Masajja on the outskirts of Kampala on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Sheikh Ramathan Mubajje, the Chairman of IRCU, said they are coming on board following a meeting with President Museveni last week.
“As the Inter Religious Council of Uganda, we want to help all Ugandans. We ask whoever wants to make a donation or any assistance to bring it to our churches and mosques and we shall distribute it. There very few countries which have allowed religious leaders to distribute food,” he said.
Bishop Joshua Lwere, who represents IRCU on the Covid-19 Taskforce, said all food donations will be handed over to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to be checked before distribution by the churches and mosques.
Mr Musa Ecweru, the State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, thanked the religious leaders for joining in the distribution exercise saying as they started food distribution in Kampala, what they thought to be slums, turned out to be a different thing especially following President Museveni’s directive of distributing food door to door.
“Some youths are sleeping in houses without doors. In some of the slums, the trucks had to park in Police stations and the uniformed men had to walk miles into the slums to deliver the food. In some cases there were no roads into the slums,” he said.
He added that food distribution delayed because UNBS was called in to test the food before distribution, assuring Ugandans that should anyone speak ill about the food, they should go ahead and eat it because it is more secure than the food sold in markets because it is tested by government laboratories.
