Opposition kingpin Col Kizza Besigye is not ready to contribute a shilling to help government fight Coronavirus in Uganda.
Besigye believes the structures responding to the crisis for examples National COVID-19 Taskforce led by the Prime Minister are unscrupulous and inefficient.
The FDC founder who now runs a splinter group People’s Power wonders why the Taskforce can spend shs 59 billion to supply relief and it hasn’t reached even his residence- Kasangati that is stone-throw away from Kampala.
“I don’t donate to what I don’t trust. I don’t trust the structures, I don’t trust their policies. We need to have functioning institutions first,” Besigye said while appearing on NBSTV on Wednesday morning.
He said the only institution that can salvage the crisis is Parliament whose occupants (MPs) ceased being representatives of the people and are now dealers and brokers.
Besigye had no kind words for legislators both in opposition and ruling party. He said it should have been parliament that could be at the center of managing the crisis by creating its structure that can supply food in constituencies because MPs are conversant with the constituents more than other government leaders.
Asked if he appreciates the current government’s efforts in responding to the crisis by providing food, the opposition heavyweight said if government can defy Parliament which had earlier halted the exercise of food distribution why again would he again trust government?
He believes only Parliament is left as a functioning institution in the country if MPs can ‘repent’ and become representatives other than deal makers and make legislations which they can oversee.
Besigye questioned how government failed to prepare for Coronavirus three months before despite clear signals that the virus was headed to Africa after breaking out in Wuhan- China.
“We wouldn’t be struggling to feed Ugandans. The government after learning that the crisis was coming to Uganda should have stocked food. That is how weak the institutions are. I am a resident of Kasangati which is near Kampala. Some of my neighbors are dying of hunger imagine. So what do you think is happening to those far away from Kampala?” Besigye asked.
However, Besigye couldn’t substantiate his claims that his neighbours have starved to death.
