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Archives of Business Review – Vol. 8, No.7

Publication Date: July 25, 2020

DOI: 10.14738/abr.87.8407.

Nabukeera, M. (2020). The Politics Of Food Distribution During The Covid-19 Lock Down In Uganda. Archives of Business Research,

8(7). 221-234.

The Politics Of Food Distribution During The Covid-19 Lock Down

In Uganda

Madinah Nabukeera

Lecturer, Kyambogo University

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Department of History and Political Science

ABSTRACT

In face of the Novel Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world,

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni issued clear rules; stay at home

unless it’s an emergency, wash your hands, sanitize, report any related

cases for contact tracing and testing. In his directive all passenger

services were stopped including private vehicles and imposed a curfew

7 pm until 6:30 a.m., which made stay at home orders mandatory.

Majority of Ugandan urban dwellers are hand-to -mouth and live off

their capability to move to town centers daily a small interruption in

their routine means many went hungry. The government of Uganda

broadcasted measures to distribute relief food items to troubled and

vulnerable population mainly in the towns since those in the country

sides are able to grow food and provide for their families. This article

articulates the politics in the food in Wakiso and Kampala districts in

Uganda why there was bias. The study used the selected all documents

related to food distribution using content analysis and results

indicated that anyone found distributing food outside the national

covid-19 task force will be charged with attempted murder hence

stopped politicians from strategizing ahead of 2021 parliamentary,

presidential and local elections which implied that Covid-19 disrupted

over 134 districts in the country in line with the preparation of

elections and left majority hungry.

Key words: Novel Coronavirus- Covid-19 pandemic, Lockdown, Food

distribution, Politics, Wakiso, Kampala and Uganda.

BACKGROUND

Uganda is a landlocked in East Africa, a country that produces more food than it consumes yet

poverty limits people’s access to nutritious food especially in the East and North parts of the

country. Its population is estimated at 46 million and expected to reach 100 million by 2050 with

a largest number of refugees in Africa which has made it increasingly difficult to achieve the

sustainable goal-2 ON zero hunger in spite the fact that Uganda give refugees small plots of land to

cultivate their food for self-sustenance (WFP, 2020).

Uganda’s poverty rate stands at 19.7 percent by 2013, 84 percent of Ugandans live in rural areas

and rely on agriculture for food production and livelihood hence vulnerability to weather cycles

and natural disaster, food storage facilities are inadequate and 30percent of food stored is lost

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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.86.8407 222

Nabukeera, M. (2020). The Politics Of Food Distribution During The Covid-19 Lock Down In Uganda. Archives of Business Research, 8(7). 221-234.

because of failure to control pest’s moisture and molds, 21 percent don’t have access to clean water

which is shared by 1.3 million refugees from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and

Somalia, malnutrition costs 899 dollars per year which affects work productivity, between 2004 to

2009 approximately 110,220 children died of malnutrition hence 15 percent of child mortality

cases, 29 percent of children are stunted as a result of undernourishment and malnutrition and

these are likely to drop out of school hence 133,000 Ugandan children are estimated to repeat

grades each year thus cognitive delays that ends up in school dropout thus poverty (Quelle, 2020).

The deadly on-going novel Corona Virus commonly called Covid-19 pandemic disrupted all

economic activities around the world and Uganda was not spared with many people forced to stay

home hence out of work thus failing to meet their basic needs. Uganda reported its first case in

March, and government banned all public gatherings, closed schools at all levels of education,

mosques and churches and finally the president announced a lockdown for 14 days, 21 days and

later 14 days (Kizza, 2020). Majority of Ugandan work in the informal sector therefore the

lockdown rendered them jobless because the nature of their jobs is hand to mouth and they earn

from daily activities i.e., market vendors, taxi operators, motorcycle riders, shoe shiners, luggage

carriers and many small businesses in the country (Draku, 2020). Uganda’s stay home- at-home

order to contain the spread of the Coronavirus has left many urban dwellers fearful they will die of

hunger rather than the virus.

In face of the Novel Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world, Ugandan President Yoweri

Museveni issued clear rules; stay at home unless it’s an emergency, wash your hands, sanitize,

report any related cases for contact tracing and testing. In his directive all passenger services were

stopped including private vehicles and imposed a curfew 7 pm until 6:30 a.m., which made stay at

home orders mandatory (Kyeyune, 2020; H. N. Xinhua, 2020). Majority of Ugandan urban dwellers

are hand-to -mouth and live off their capability to move to town centers daily a small interruption

in their routine means many will go hungry (H. N. Xinhua, 2020). Museveni said, or scientists have

done a commendable job by minimizing the number of new cases although it’s too early to

celebrate, he quickly requested Ugandans to stay at home and observe all measures put in place by

Ministry of health professionals (H. N. Xinhua, 2020).

The government of Uganda broadcasted measures to distribute relief food items to troubled and

vulnerable population mainly in the towns since those in the country sides are able to grow food

and provide for their families although they have complained that the food will not reach them,

government through its legislature have enforced plans to distribute seedlings to each house hold

to enable them plant their own food since its planting season. The recent poverty indicates show

that Ugandans in town side are better than their counter parts in country side thus government

defended its position claiming that the food relief is not a “poverty alleviation programme” rather

intended to save lives of the jobless to feed their families (AFP, 2020; Draku, 2020; Kazibwe, 2020).

Poverty is not an emergency since it has been available for the last 35 years of president Museveni’s

regime hence the public should not mix poverty alleviation programs and relief (Kazibwe, 2020)

and poverty will be solved by Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).

According to the Uganda Household survey 2016/17 (UBOs 2016) the number of poor people in

Uganda increased form 6.6 million in 2012/13 to 10 million in 2016/17. The wore hit areas

included Karamoja with 61%, Bukedi 48% and Busoga 48%. According to World Bank, poverty

assessment report, poor people in Northern and Eastern regions increased from 68% to 84%