The effects of staying at home due to the lockdown is taking a toll on Ugandans, with parents, particularly in urban centres, struggling to provide food for their families.
For David Emaru, a 60-year-old fishmonger in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb, the Covid-19 pandemic has sunk his hopes after destroying his business and livelihood.
While for the last three decades he had managed to shelter, feed and educate his family comfortably — the Covid-19 crisis has left him bearing the brunt of the Coronavirus pain.
David’s customers have not only thinned but he is slowly sinking into penury and is one of the millions of poor Ugandans thrown into a spin within a span of the additional 21 days.
David is among millions of Ugandans who have lost hope of makings ends meet as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ruin businesses and disrupt way of life.
With several businesses either shutting operations or retaining minimal staff on their payrolls, several Ugandans are now suddenly exposed to the possibility of bankruptcy and poverty.
For James Ainebyoona, a 49-year-old kitchen steward, his worry is what his family will eat.
Mr Ainebyoona has been a kitchen steward in one of Uganda’s finest hotels, but was sent home on unpaid leave.
“I am already facing a precarious situation, as I have not cleared two months’ rent arrears and still, I’m yet to figure out where next month’s rent will come from,” he says. “Apart from the rent, I have an unpaid loan of Sh1.5m.”
Thousands of Ugandans have lost their jobs after businesses closed shop. Others have been sent on unpaid leave. Those in the informal sector, like David, are recording low sales which cannot sustain their families.
