Local leaders have been cautioned by the government to stay away from soliciting money from the public while distributing free face masks.
In a press statement dated July 12, ICT and National Guidance Minister, Judith Nabakooba said that there have been unfortunate cases of local leaders being involved in the sale of face masks to the public.
“Government would like to remind everyone that the government face masks are free and every Ugandan who is six years and above is entitled to a free mask” She adds.
Nabakooba stated that all local leaders responsible for distributing the masks have been facilitated for the process and therefore are expected to do their work without charging any fee.
“We encourage members of the public to be vigilant and report any cases of local leaders asking for money in return.” She notes.
A month ago, government embarked on the process of procuring locally made face masks and so far, six million masks have been distributed in 22 districts and the process is continuing.
Some of the districts that have so far got masks include Arua, Ajumani, Amuru, Moyo, Kyotera, Masaka, Soroti, Busia, Tororo, Mbarara, Ntungamo, and others.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the launch, Health Minister, Dr. Aceng said that the government spent Shs79 billion on buying the masks while Shs2 billion will be spent on distributing them across the country.
