President Museveni
By JOB BWIRE
President Museveni
Tuesday said he would commit part of his Shs3.6 million monthly salary
to the fight against further spread of coronavirus in Uganda.
While
updating Ugandans on government efforts in the fight against the spread
of the virus pandemic which has wreaked global havoc, Mr Museveni in a
televised address, said he would take a pay cut and donate part of his
salary to the National COVID-19 Response Fund led by Minister in Charge
of General Duties, Mary Karooro Okurut.
“You remember your people normally pay me some little money. They pay me Shs3.6 million. NRM takes about 20 percent. On the other remaining Shs2.7 million, I will instruct Janet to sign Shs1.4 million each month to the Fund. Janet is the one who receives that money. I never follow up that…,” Mr Museveni said in response to a question from a Ugandan who asked why public servants have not committed their salaries to the fight against the virus, like the case was in other African countries.
Uganda has registered 79 confirmed cases of the virus with 52 recoveries.
Nigerian
lawmakers, Rwandan top civil servants, Kenya’s top government officials
and more recently Malawi’s cabinet have committed their salaries to the
COVID-19 fight.
In Rwanda, politicians and top civil servants agreed
to donate their April salaries to welfare programmes to help the poor
cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus.
Prime Minister
Edouard Ngirente said the salary sacrifice would show “solidarity” with
the people, who have been under a tough lockdown and strict curbs on
freedoms to contain the spread of the virus.
Lawmakers in Nigeria weeks back agreed to forgo their salaries as contributions towards the COVID-19 fight. Kenya’s president and top government officials also took salary cuts for the same reason.
In Malawi, President Peter Mutharika also announced taking a 10 percent salary cut along with his ministers.
Source Daily Monitor.