Atleast 2.4 million people in Uganda have been pushed into poverty due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated measures to contain it, according to an Oxfam report that, among others, looks at Covid-19’s impact on growth, poverty and inequality.
A July 2020 UN report found that at least 1.9 million people are likely to fall into poverty as a result of the first eight weeks of the lockdown alone.
The report analyzed the socio economic impact of the lockdown measures imposed to control transmission of Covid-19 in the country.
The Oxfam report titled “The Inequality Crisis in East Africa: Fighting Austerity and the Pandemic” , which was released yesterday, places Uganda among the world’s 40 most unequal countries.
Together with South Sudan and Rwanda, Uganda leads the pack in East Africa of the countries with the highest level of inequality.
The report offers a grim picture for Uganda and her neighbours in the region given that some past findings had shown Uganda was progressing in lifting its people out of poverty.
