Kigali City Districts to Distribute Food Relief Package amidst Lockdown
Kigali city districts are working on a system through which they will distribute food relief to residents who currently have no source of income due to the latest lockdown imposed on January 18, 2021.
The 15-day lockdown was only imposed on Kigali to contain surging Covid-19 cases in the capital.
A Meeting was held, bringing together the City of Kigali and the districts and sectors representatives among others to devise ways of distributing the food in a transparent and efficient manner.
The aim of the meeting was also to ensure the distribution exercise does not flout the measures in place to contain the virus.
According to city officials, the food to be distributed is already available and the exercise will start as soon as possible.
A resident of Kanyinya village in Nyarugenge District receives food relief as the government rolled out support to poor households during the previous lockdown last year. Photo: File.
The Minister for Local Government, Anastase Shyaka, had earlier tasked the City of Kigali and local leaders from village to the district level to coordinate better to be able to distribute food relief to affected residents.
Régis Mudaheranwa, the Deputy District Executive Administrator for Gasabo District, disclosed that the food relief distribution could start soon.
“We are still streamlining how the operation will be carried out and the preparation should be concluded soon. Distribution might start tomorrow,” he said.
The distribution of food relief will be different from the way it was carried out last year according to officials. It would be a door-to-door distribution
Mobilsed volunteers, who will have tested Covid-19 negative – will distribute food relief door-to-door instead of having households gathered in a crowd at village and cell offices as an effective way of preventing the spread of the pandemic.
“The youth volunteers and leaders of ‘Isibo’ groups (that are part of the village set up), community security organs among others will distribute the food relief to the beneficiaries,” Mudaheranwa said.
There are about 1,000 volunteers operating in Kigali city who are already helping to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Officials say more will be enlisted to help in food relief distribution in different villages of the capital to ensure it is swift.
