London, April 21, 2020 (AltAfrica)-A Ugandan court has suspended the allocation of 10 billion Ugandan shillings ($2.6m; £2.1m) to members of parliament to fight the spread of coronavirus in their constituencies, the Daily Monitor newspaper reports.

Each MP was due to receive about $5,300 to, among other things, fuel ambulances and pay allowances for the drivers involved in the Covid-19 taskforces at district level, the newspaper reports quoting sources in parliament.

JUST IN: The Civil Division of the High Court has stayed the release of the Sh10b to MPs until the hearing of the application challenging such on April 29. The suit was filed by Ntugamo MP Gerald Karuhanga and Erute North County MP Jonathan Odur#MonitorUpdates via @zziwaherbert pic.twitter.com/jb1MGCC8r1

— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) April 21, 2020

The proposal sparked a public outcry and an online petition. The petition said the money should go to the Covid-19 Task Force instead of MPs. It said that many of the MPs were not in their constituencies because of lock down.

About 17,000 people signed the online petition challenging the covid-19 fund allocation to members of Parliament (MPs), to fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

The petition, is spearheaded by Ms Sarah Kiyingi, the former state minister for Internal Affairs.

Ms Kiyingi says that whereas she does not doubt the role MPs can play in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, she believes that the allocation is misplaced. 

Two opposition MPs on Tuesday succeeded in getting a court order suspending the allocation

Meanwhile, a 46-year-old Burundian refugee who entered Uganda through Tanzania has become the latest victim to test positive for coronavirus.

The new cases brings to 56, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Uganda

Ministry of Health said via Twitter that the man quarantined in Rakai District.

On Monday, according to the ministry, 1,177 samples were tested.

 However, according to the message, 10 more people who previously tested positive for the virus were on Monday discharged from hospital, bringing the country’s total number of recoveries to 38.

They had reportedly tested negative twice after treatment.