H. E. President Yoweri Museveni (in white shirt) with members of the Presidential Investors' Roundtable 2020. Many of the Investors have heeded the President's call to donate towards efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. (Cr. David Rupiny)

Covid-19: Investors donate generously towards fight against pandemic in Uganda

Dozens of investors, other private sector players, institutions and individuals have risen to President Yoweri Museveni’s clarion call to contribute towards the fight against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

On two occasions out of his several national addresses on measures against Covid-19, President Museveni has appealed directly to investors and all well-wishers to contribute generously towards Government’s efforts to combat the pandemic.

In particular, the President has appealed to investors, who run close to 5,000 industries, to contribute brand new four-wheel-drive vehicles to boost the Ministry of Health fleet.

The Government budget for the Covid-19 response is about 77.8 million dollars.

The President handed two jeeps that Paul Zhang, the Chairman of Tian Tang Group, which runs the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park in eastern Uganda, given to him to the Ministry of Health.

By the time of filing this report, donations had come from at least 75 investors (both domestic and foreign), other private sector players, institutions and individuals. The donations includes vehicles, cash, personal protective equipment and food and non-food supplies.

A list compiled by a 15-member team headed by Minister in charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, which is collecting donations for the national Covid-19 response, has dozens of donors, many of which are investors licensed by Uganda Investment Authority. The list is getting longer and longer by the day.

Health Minister, Dr. Ruth Aceng (second right) with Permanent Secretary, Dr. Diana Atwine (right) receiving anti-Covid-19 donations from Investors. (Credit: Smart 24 TV)

Below are some of the donations:

  • Tian Tang Group – 2 vehicles
  • Chinese factories (Mabala Mabel – Mukono – joint contribution of two pickup trucks and 20 tonnes of maize meal worth 71,767 dollars.
  • Southern Range Nyanza (Nytil, textile manufacturer) – UGX100 million, 1,000 pairs of bed sheets, 10,000 locally manufactured facemasks)
  • SCD (manufacturers of Darling hair/beauty products) – UGX 200 million
  • Hariss International (Riham products) – 1 ambulance
  • Modern Group (Jinja) – UGX100 million
  • Yogi Steels Goup – UGX150 million
  • Techno Ltd. – UGX 200 million.
  • Sunbelt Industries – USD 30,000 (UGX114 million)
  • Mulwana Group of Companies – 2 ambulances
  • Tembo Steel – 1 pickup Vehicle
  • Dott Services – 1 pickup vehicle
  • Kaliro Sugar – 500 bags of sugar
  • Rwenzori Bottling Company – 30 cartons of bottled water
  • Crown Beverages Ltd. (Pepsi) – UGX700 million, 100 cartons of bottled water
  • Crest Foam Mattresses – 200 pieces of mattresses
  • Rose Foam mattresses – 200 pieces of mattresses
  • Euro Foam mattresses – 100 pieces of mattresses
  • Comfoam mattresses – 60 pieces of mattresses
  • Uganda Breweries – 60 pieces of mattresses
  • Nile Breweries – 25 tons of maize flour, fuel
  • Royal Foam Mattresses – 200 pieces of mattresses
  • Century Bottling Company (Coca-Cola) – 30 cartons of bottled water and an assortment of non-food supplies
  • Skin Guard Cosmetics – 100 cartons of sanitizers
  • Movit Products – 200 cartons of hand wash soap, 200 cartons of toilet soap
  • Mega Industries – 100 boxes of bar soap
  • Stabex Gas – gas cylinders worth UGX20 million
  • Baraj Group of Companies – 1000 litres of sanitizers
  • Sarrai Group – supplies worth UGX 300 million (20,000 kilogrammes of sugar, 5,000 bags of wheat flour, 10,000 bars of soap and 10,000 litres of sanitizers)
  • Abacus Pharmaceuticals – 3,000 pieces of Dexto sanitizers, 3,000 normal saline, 2,010 ringers, 1,000 fluids, 1,000 packets of paracetamol, 17,000 pieces of black soap.
  • Sinohydro Corporation Limited – cooking oil, maize flour, mobile phones
  • Bluewave Bottling Company – 400 Cartons of bottled water
  • Doditor Group – 400 facemasks, sanitizers
  • Madhvani Group of Companies – 200 pieces of mosquito nets, motor vehicles
  • Cho King International Construction Company – 200 blankets
  • United Band of Africa (UBA Bank) – USD150,000 (UGX570 million)
  • Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) staff – USD 100,000 (UGX 380 million)
  • World Bank Uganda – UGX57 billion
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – ICT equipment
  • United Bank of Africa – USD100 (UGX380 million)
  • Housing Finance Bank – personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Development Finance Corporation of Uganda (dffcu) Bank – UGX70 million in cash and UGXU30m towards improving hygiene – 5,000 non-sterile gloves, 2.500 liters of detergents, 2,500 litres of sodium hydrochloride solution and 2,000 bars of soap.
  • Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) – UGX250 million
  • Stanbic Bank – UGX 100 million, 5,000 gloves 5000, and UGX 55 million for fuel
  • Standard Chartered Bank – UGX 100 million
  • Buganda Kingdom – UGX 100 million
  • Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom – UGX 60 million
  • Seyani Brothers – UGX 50 million
  • Kireka Local Council 1 – UGX 1 million
  • Ham Foundation – UGX 100 million
  • S. K. Mbuga (individual donor) – 40 tonnes of food
  • Coffee – USD 40,000 (UGX 152M)
  • House of Prayer Ministries International – UGX100 million
  • Japan Auto Motors – 8 Vehicles and 100 Cartons of bottled water
  • Government of India – 2 ambulances
  • People’s of Republic of China – 2 ambulances
  • Ruparelia Group of Companies – 2 vehicles
  • Huawei – Video conferencing equipment for Ministry of Health
  • Knight Frank (real estate managers) – 60 pieces of mattresses
  • NC Bank – 60 pieces of mattresses
  • Sprout Investments – 200 pieces of mattresses
  • Uganda Insurers Association – 1000 blankets
  • Shell Vivo – 1000 bed sheets
  • Indian Association in Uganda – 500 pieces of personal protective equipment, 30,000 gloves, 200 litres of liquid soap, 90 facemasks, 1,200 containers of hand sanitizers.
  • People Power political group– 50 bags of maize flour, 30 cartons of salt, 30 cartons of soap
  • Airtel – internet data
  • MTN – sending messages
  • World Vision – USD 1 million (UGX3.8 billion) – non-food supplies
  • Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies – 30,000 gloves
  • Huawei – video conferencing equipment to the ministry of health
  • Alibaba (Jack Ma) – consignment of medical equipment (100,000 masks, 20,089 test kits, face shields and other personal protective equipment); second round of donation coming
  • Chinese road construction companies – joint contribution of medical supplies and other items like hand sanitizers, mattresses, mosquito nets, blankets and boxes of bottled water.
  • Jumia (online sales platform) – 30,000 facemasks
  • Total Uganda in partnership with Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) and Stanbic Bank  – fuel worth UGX120 million
  • Total Group (Total E&P and Total Uganda) – USD70,000 (UGX270 million)

More donations are continuing to flow in.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr. Diana Atwine (left) receiving donations from Nyanza Southern Range Textiles Limited (Nytil). (Credit: NilePost)

Speaking during one of the donation-receiving ceremonies, the Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, thanked all those who have heeded to President Museveni’s call and have donated generously. He said the donations will go a long way in boosting the fight against the pandemic.

The Minister for General Duties, who heads the donation drive, Mary Karooro Okurut, said working together will speed up defeat of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Evelyn Anite, has reechoed President Museveni’s call, asking investors to join the Government effort in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Minister Anite, the Covid-19 pandemic is a public enemy which must be fought collectively, noting that the anti-coronavirus pandemic response requires lots of resources like funds, vehicles, personal protective equipment, medical supplies and equipment, food and non-food items.

Uganda has 53 confirmed cases of Covid-19, three of whom have fully recovered after treatment and are being considered for discharge.

According to the Director General in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, all 53 confirmed Covid-19 cases are in stable condition.

A cumulative total of 3,862 samples have been tested for the virus. The latest batch of 338 samples tested (as of April 9) were negative, raising hopes that Uganda may have flattened the curve.

A total of 538 individuals are under institutional quarantine while 571 contacts to the confirmed cases are under follow up.

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