MPs Clash over ‘Rotten’ Covid-19 Food
MPs Kasibante, Ssemujju, Gilbert Olanya and Ssewanyana with the beans they allege are of poor quality
There was a heated debate in Parliament after a group of Opposition legislators tabled before the House samples of bad food allegedly being distributed under the government-led national Covid-19 response program.
The Chief Opposition Whip also Kira Municipality MP, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, joined by Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West), Moses Kasibante (Lubaga North) and Gilbert Olanya (Kilak South) angered some of their NRM colleagues when they accused the government of distributing food that is not fit for human consumption.
“This food was distributed yesterday in Kireka. What is happening is that you will go to one home you find good beans, but then in the next home you will find that the beans are spoilt,” said Ssemujju.
His colleagues also presented samples that they claimed had been distributed in Lubaga North and Makindye West to the enragement of NRM MPs.
Ngora Woman MP, Jacqueline Amongin accused her opposition colleagues of “acting out of the decorum of Parliament” as well as undermining government efforts of distributing relief food to communities affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Amongin said that despite the talk about the quality of the food, many Ugandans who have received the food are grateful.
Kasibante dismissed the criticism telling Parliament that, “I personally picked these beans from one of my constituents right after distribution by the national task force and they are from labeled packs.”
Ssemujju said that the government needed to ascertain whether beans being distributed are those from its qualified suppliers.
The Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, said that Parliament will interest itself in the quality of relief food distributed to the masses.
“Since we cannot tell the source of the said rotten beans, I will send a team to investigate the source and quality of beans in areas cited by members,” Kadaga said.
Since March when government kicked off the distribution of relief food to Ugandans distressed by the Covid-19 lockdown, Kadaga has been outspoken in questioning its quality.
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) recently raised a red flag after it discovered that some of the relief food distributed by government was not suitable for human consumption.
