Background: Distribution and management of relief supplies during hard times is seen as one of the key roles among governments in developing economies. Management of relief supply chains during a pandemic could be an uphill task that calls for an investigation. The present study focuses on the relief aid distribution of food items and face-masks during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda. It specifically examines the challenges faced by the relief supply chain. Methods: It was a case study of stakeholders involved in relief distribution and conducted through electronic and physical interviews. 20 electronic interviews were conducted through zoom and telephone calls while 20 physical interviews were conducted at the interviewees’ respective workplaces. Data were collected from January 2021 to March 2021. The method of data collection and analysis was qualitative. Data were thematically analyzed using Atlas ti. v7.57. Results: It was found that many challenges ranging from needs identification, procurement, warehousing, transportation, handling, beneficiary verification, and distribution inhibited the proper functioning of the relief items distribution supply chain. Other obstacles were the media and its increasing influence on supply activities. Also, politics coupled with the emergence of new actors and governance issues were identified as part of the study findings. Conclusions: The present study identified a number of challenges in relief aid distribution. Some of the challenges were internal to the relief supply chain, others were beyond the chain. The findings could inform leverage of a number of factors during relief item distribution in the next cycles.
Background: The study focuses on the challenges encountered during the distribution of food and face-mask items during the first COVID-19 lock-down by various relief supply chain actors. Methods: Data were collected from forty (40) relief actors through online (via zoom and telephones) and face-to-face interviews, between January 2021 to March 2021. Data was coded based on per-determined themes after which it was further processed using Atlas ti. v7.57 to generate patterns. Results: The study established challenges related to needs identification, procurement, warehousing, transportation, handling, beneficiary verification, and last-mile distribution. Additionally, the media and politics coupled with the emergence of new actors and governance issues were part of the challenges identified. Conclusions: The identified challenges were internal and external to the relief supply chain; hence actors could have control over some while others were beyond their control. The findings could inform practitioners and policymakers on what challenges are likely to affect their operations, especially during a pandemic, and design appropriate coping mechanisms
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