President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni while reading out benefactors of COVID-19 Taskforce told telecom giants MTN and Airtel to contribute vehicles instead of data and sms.
Museveni made the request when he read that Airtel has contributed data worth million to the Rugunda led committee.
President Museveni had earlier made a request to all rich Ugandans and companies to donate at least two vehicles, and to be specific pickups with four-wheel drive.
The vehicles according to President Museveni are to help transport the food to vulnerable Ugandans who are affected by the 35 days of shutdown.
He therefore set up a committee which will oversee these donations and it is led by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.
On Sunday while briefing the nation, Museveni had just returned from Jinja- at Owen Falls dam to see how UPDF engineers had deployed efforts to divert a floating island which disrupted power generation and caused a national blackout on Wednesday.
In his address Museveni lifted the 2pm ban on boda bodas and said they were allowed to operate until 5pm in the evening to help deliver small cargo and food to Ugandans who are staying home.
He said dead bodies of Ugandans who died of COVID-19 from abroad should never be returned to the country for burial and likewise, no person who should attend a burial of a person who dies of COVID-19 in Uganda. He said the victim should be buried by health experts.
The President reiterated Uganda’s commitment to combating the virus and wipe out of the country in the near future.