The Catholic Church in Uganda has suspended all staff in its private schools across the country, local newspaper Daily Monitor reports.

The church has advised all its educational institutions to suspend payments because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"You need to notify your staff and mutually agree on unpaid leave especially those on active contracts," Reverend Ronald Okello, who is in charge of education at Uganda Episcopal Conference, is quoted by the paper as saying.

The church owns about 6,000 educational institutions that employ hundreds of thousands of teachers and other staff.

Private school teachers in Uganda have found themselves without an income because of the pandemic, with many turning to casual jobs to earn a living.

The schools mainly depend on fees from parents to sustain their operations.