“We took down their requests one by one and immediately sent them back to China, hoping a quickest feedback, so that we will soon have a follow-up invitation for them to come again to the Embassy,” says Ambassador Zheng on Thursday at Makerere University.
Parents whose children are stuck in China following the outbreak of coronavirus have accused the Ugandan government of doing ‘absolutely nothing’ except making empty promises about the situation.
Since the outbreak of coronavirus in China early this year, a number of countries have evacuated their citizens from the quarantined Hubei province. The virus has so far claimed at least 2,801 lives in eight countries – 2,747 in China alone.
Earlier this month, President Yoweri Museveni and minister of Health, Jane Ruth Aceng ruled out the evacuation of the 105 Ugandan students, saying they were safer in China because it had better expertise in the handling of the deadly virus than Uganda. Government instead promised to send some $61,000 (about Shs 220m) to the students stuck in Wuhan the epicentre of the virus outbreak to facilitate their livelihood.
But now the parents of the affected students say their children have never received the promised money yet life has become very difficult due to shortages and a hike in prices for goods. Addressing journalists at Rock Gardens at Speke Hotel today Thursday, the representative of the up to 105 students stuck in China decried the slow response by government.
Dr Cecilia Atim, whose child is stuck in Wuhan, said government has never officially communicated with the parents nor the affected students. She disclosed that the students are facing difficulties to find food and other supplies in Wuhan.
“Food and other supplies are very expensive. About a week ago, one of the students posted and said a kilo of beef is about Shs 50,000 and a tomato is about Shs 2500 and most of them cannot keep up with those prices. Government promised to remit that money immediately to alleviate their situation but up to now those funds have not been remitted and the students most of them are very desperate. They keep in touch with us parents and they are quite desperate about it. Another key thing that was promised by the government at that time through the statement in parliament was that they are organising to meet the parents.” said Atim.
She says they met the Chinese embassy officials in Uganda who assured them that the students are safe contrary to reports that they are leaving in deplorable conditions. She says previously the key thing on the parent’s minds was evacuation, but they have since discovered that it isn’t easy to do and will therefore wait on government to come good on its promises.
“Of course the key thing of everyone in Uganda since we started this agitation for attention for students who are locked up in Wuhan is evacuation of students. But in the course of time, as we discussed with key people that we met, we discovered that it is not easy to do it just out of the blue. Even the minister of Health in her statement said we as Ugandans are not ready for that evacuation. So as parents we kind of backed down a bit on that issue of evacuation but it doesn’t mean that it is ruled out of the question.” she said.
She says it is unfortunate that the World Health Organisation is saying the virus is headed to be pandemic and might affect students who are isolated psychologically.
Phiona Nakayongo, who has three sisters in Wuhan, says it is the universities taking care of their own students and not the Chinese government. She says the fear now is that evacuating students would lead to the spread of the disease.
“[Chinese ambassador to Uganda] told us it is safer where they are at this moment that is why they have not planned to evacuate them. However, he said that evacuation is not their decision solely as the Chinese government. They said that when they get feedback…when they get information from the Ugandan government and they agree, then they can evacuate them then evacuation can actually happen. They have not ruled out evacuation it can happen if they agree with the Ugandan government.” Nakayongo said.Meanwhile, the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, Zheng Zhu Qiang said they are still waiting for a response from his home government on the request of parents of Ugandan students to evacuate their children.
Zheng says he is aware of the concerns of Ugandan parents whose children are trapped in Wuhan. Zheng explains that he had a meeting with the parents and families of the affected students at the Embassy on Saturday where he carefully listened to their demands. According to Zheng, there are only 81 Ugandan students in Wuhan, since others had left before the virus outbreak. He said the stuck students are being taken care of by the Chinese government just as they are taking care of their own students. Zheng further said that he shared the latest information during his meeting with parents and received their “concerns, difficulties as well as under-supply and anxieties.”
“We took down their requests one by one and immediately sent them back to China, hoping a quickest feedback, so that we will soon have a follow-up invitation for them to come again to the embassy,” said Zheng at Makerere University today.
Adding that; “We are doing this to share with you that we are with you in thick and thin, sunny or rainy, spring or winter.” As a sign of solidarity, Makerere University donated 4,000 surgical masks to China’s Xiangtan University, the main collaborating university where more than 60 Ugandans mostly from Makerere are studying.
“I was deeply touched to learn that early this week Professor Barnabas Nawangwe flagged off a batch of surgical masks donated by Makerere University to Xiangtan University. This is an epitome of the solidarity between Ugandan people and Chinese people,” said Zheng.
Adding that; “On behalf of the People’s Republic of China, please allow me to express our heartfelt appreciation to you, and through you, to the people and government of the Republic of Uganda, for your deep understanding, strong support and solidarity extended to us.”
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