Uganda Red Cross Society wants government to fund a bigger part of its budget

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Red Cross Secretary General Robert Kwesiga, and a section of Members of Parliament have urged the government to increase its funding to enable it fund its annual budget, but also deal with the ever disasters that hit the country.

“With good funding it is possible for us to achieve much more in the country,” Kwesiga said.

He was speaking at a half day event organized by Uganda Red Cross Society, attended by selected Members of Parliament connected to the disaster committee in Parliament, in Kampala on Oct. 06.

The aim of the meeting was for the URCS to seek practicable ways in which these MPs can support and advance the cause of the URCS as well as discuss disaster risk reduction agenda.

The organisation’s annual budget, according to Kwesiga is Shs100bn, and that for the last two years, it has been operating at 70-80% of the annual budget – meaning 20-30% of the funds have not been coming through. It gets funding from government of Uganda and other sources internationally.

“The Shs100bn is optimum and we would want to operate at that,” Kwesiga told The Independent after the meeting.

Sarah Opendi, Tororo legislator who chaired the meeting attended by about 30 MPs supported Kwesiga’s view, saying Uganda is prone to several disasters like floods, drought, accidents, diseases and more and that supporting more URCS is key to managing the negatives that come along with them.

The country has recently suffered with floods in Eastern Uganda and landslides in some parts of the country that claimed lives. URCS has been at the centre of giving support to the victims.

Kwesiga said, they are reactivating their work strategies to offer more operational support to Ebola victims.

The Red Cross was Incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1964 by the enactment of Red Cross Act; Cap 57 of the Laws of Uganda. It was however revised by Parliament last year.