Be Economical during these tough Times – President Museveni

Monday, May 18, 2020

STATE HOUSE, ENTEBBE: That the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on resources is no secret. To survive, therefore, individuals must be thrifty in how they use whatever resources that are at their disposal. 

That was the advice relayed by President Museveni today, as he chaired the Cabinet meeting in Entebbe, choosing to demonstrate this through a meal of posho. 

Displaying to ministers a mound of posho mingled from one kilogramme of flour, the President encouraged them to educate the population about the need to feed in order to meet the body's calorie needs. 

“I tried to do a rough estimate of how many kilos a person can survive on in a day. My girls here cooked it on my instructions," said the President. "The scientific conclusion is that 250 grammes of posho is optimal for consumption in a day. A total of 2.6 kilogrammes of posho could serve one for about 10 days."

Separately, Dr Paul Kasenene, an expert nutritionist, says the body's calorie intake is dependent on several aspects like weight, metabolism, age, among others. 

"However, on avarage a man will need between 1,500 to 2,500 kilocalories while a woman will need between 1,200 to 1,800 kilo calories," said Dr Kasenene. 

Known for his dietary discipline, President Museveni has in the recent past encouraged Ugandans to mind what they eat and exercise so that they keep healthy. 

The President has recently lost about 30 kilogrammes, reducing his weight from 106 kilogrammes to 76 kilogrammes, largely by observing a strict dietary and exercise regime. 

After announcing a lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government embarked on offering food relief to those hardest-hit by the shutdown in Kampala and Wakiso districts. 

The package includes 6kgs of posho flour and 3kgs of beans for each member of a household. Breastfeeding mothers are given a tin of powdered milk. 

By Monday 18th, officials at the Office of the Prime Minister, which is overseeing the exercise, said they had served over 1.2 million 

 

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