Following a directive by President Museveni to the Ministry of Local Government to provide the necessary support and facilitation to regional and district Covid-19 taskforces to strengthen the response at community level, government has released the funds to boost the fight against Covid 19.
The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magyezi has said that each district and city is getting Shs150 million, and each municipality is getting Shs100 million.
Hon. Magyezi said the money will support the implementation of the Community Engagement Strategy (CES), which aims to reduce transmission and stop the spread of coronavirus in communities.
“The overall goal [of CES] is to empower the communities to fight Covid-19 and its negative social, economic and health consequences, in our respective localities,” he said.
He also said cutting transmission through the CES will be achieved through increasing awareness, adoption and observance of Covid-19 prevention measures, support home-based care and mobilising people to go for testing and vaccination.
According to information from the Ministry of Local Government, each village health team (VHT) is getting Shs300,000 as payment for July-September. And each village committee will be paid Shs100,000.
The money was supposed to reach districts from July 7 to July 8, Eliasto Akatuheebwa, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner and the head of the district Covid-19 taskforce confirmed receiving the money.
Akatuheebwa said that the money will be used to boost surveillance and support other related operations.