Turkish charity donates bicycles to Uganda

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - In Uganda, where fuel supplies are extremely limited, the Turkish charity Keskül İnternational Help Organization together with the Turkish Embassy in Uganda have donated bicycles to ease the mobility of some Imams, or heads of the Muslim community.

Fuel prices in Uganda have gone through the roof, rising by nearly 100%, and many people are shifting from motorized means of transport to non-motorized ones to restore mobility and avoid the high prices.

Uganda is a landlocked country and entirely dependent on imported fuel, whose supply chain was disrupted by the war in Ukraine.

“High fuel prices are unlikely to go away very soon, and this is an added burden to the people, who are already struggling following the COVID-19 effects. Therefore, our intervention is inevitable. Turkish people will continue supporting Ugandans in whatever means possible to lessen their hardship,” said Fikret Kerem Alp, Türkiye’s ambassador to Uganda.

The deputy Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa, called on the Ugandan government to adopt a transport policy that cushions citizens from shocks such as the fuel crisis.

The bicycles were donated to the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council at an event attended by Omer Aykon, the coordinator of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Uganda, among others.