Second Lockdown: Don't make Uganda a laughing stock

Second Lockdown: Don't make Uganda a laughing stock

Over the weekend, news filtered in that the Minister of Health, the cerebral Dr Jane Ruth Acheng, threatened to advise the President to declare a second total lockdown of the country. Everyone was aghast at the news. Taking such a step would make Uganda an international laughing stock. 

World over, countries are opening up their economies relentlessly. The world is realizing after we simply need to make the COVID-19 part of our lifestyle and live comfortably with it. 

As of today, France has declared the whole country a Green Zone meaning everyone is back to business. Obviously, with the openings, the standard operating procedure of wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and physical distancing are still being enforced. 

The alleged second lockdown is because of the "laxity of Ugandans" in following physical distancing and wearing face masks. Please, let's leave out the superior patronizing of Ugandans. There are millions of Ugandans living in the crowded slums of Kampala where the so-called "social distancing" is simply a bandied phrase but for all intents and purposes, impractical. 

A second lockdown is tantamount to deliberately committing economic suicide. The repercussions of a dead economy is very expensive going from the experience from Zimbabwe and Venezuela. A dead economy has very serious national security implications that is unfathomable. Already, there are nascent rise in criminality including burglary, muggings, and broad day snatching of bags and other valuables. When we take into account the number of families displaced around  Lake Victoria and the River Nile basin, coupled with disruptions in livelihoods, let alone the ramifications from the locusts invasion, you see a perfect storm brewing over the country.  

I also find it absolutely foolish for the State to start lavish expenditures like buying for citizens face masks. Ugandans can afford to buy their own masks of 2000 shillings. The nearly 100 billion shillings expenditures on the procurement and distribution of face masks is totally uncalled for. 

This is money that could have gone a long way to stimulate the economy. Every governments around the world are girding their loins and taking austerity measures to curb excesses. There's also news that the Government is considering purchasing radio handsets for families. I don't want to rain on "the deal" of someone. But I think we need to set our priority right. These top-down prescriptions, that are totally out of touch with reality, are totally uncalled for. From my interactions with my folks on the countryside, what families need are seeds for the second rain, a good produce price for their first rain harvests, and yes, they want to carry passengers on the ubiquitous Bajaj motorcycle that's the fastest means of transportation in the village.

If government really wish to implement subsidy regime for Ugandan families, the best model is to implement a direct cash transfer model that have already been successfully implemented in Kenya. Register families and their mobile money number and transfer the cash directly to them. Any government procurement at this time will be riddled with middle men who will inflate costs 100 times and at the end the good intentions of government will never be met. A direct cash transfer will also stimulate local economies. 

But please don't lock this economy again. It's like playing with hot coal, it will burn the fingers of too many people.