Coronavirus: Museveni warns traders against hiking prices
Wednesday March 25 2020
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has warned traders against taking advantage of coronavirus pandemic to inflate prices of food and other basic supplies in the country.
“I will send spies in the town to catch those hiking the price of food. I will cancel their licenses. These are crooks,’’ President Museveni said in a televised address on Tuesday.
Museveni also announced that although public transport was a risk in the spread of coronavirus, stricter measures were yet to be imposed as they could hurt factory workers residing in the capital Kampala and its environs.
“If the cities and towns had enough bicycles, by now I would have suspended public transport because people can cycle [to and from work]. Public transport won’t be suspended yet. Let us monitor if the problem spreads we shall suspend public transport but for now let us watch,” he said.
The president said that city commuters will continue to use public transport adding that long-distance travel would be halted to limit movement.
“But for long distances…intercity transport, that one we will have to suspend, as long as the factories are working,” he added.
Museveni, however did not announce when the suspension will go into effect.
Uganda on Monday recorded 8 new coronavirus cases raising the total to 9.