Refugees To Be Deported Over Covid-19
The Ministry of disaster preparedness says it is considering deportation of refugees who sneak back into their countries and return to Uganda.
Addressing journalists as he returned his nomination papers at the NRM electoral commission office this afternoon, State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Musa Echweru said they are considering making it criminal for refugees to sneak out of their refugee camps back into their countries and return to the camps.
He says this is believed to be one of the ways the virus is being imported into refugee camps, increasing Covid-19 infections and deaths in refugee camps.
“It is believed that the refugee who died in Hoima sneaked into DR Congo and back into the Kyangwali camp in Hoima after getting the Corona Virus. Our refugee settlements are like our rural villages,” he said.
Echweru is among the incumbent NRM ministers and Members of Parliament who returned their nomination forms to contest for in the 2021 Parliamentary elections on the NRM ticket.
Notable also was Rebecca Kadaga the Speaker of Parliament who is currently holding the Kamuli woman Member of Parliament Seat.
Both Echweru and Rebecca Kadaga urged government to speed up the distribution of free face masks across the country saying during their recent campaigns, they have noted with dismay how people outside Kampala are not respecting the Covid 19 guidelines and yet the infections continue increasing in the community.
NRM electoral commission deputy chairperson Jane Alisemera Babiiha says they have extended receipt of the nomination forms to tomorrow because of the big number of mainly youth and women who have this time expressed interest in contesting against the old guard in both the constituencies and the district level.
Among the old guards who returned the nominations forms today is Aggrey Awori who is seeking to represent the Elderly from Eastern Uganda, and Kamanda Bataringaya Kamanda for Western Uganda.