Archive for year: 2019

Kampala, Uganda: A boda boda (commercial motorcycle) cooperative in Makindye, a city suburb, has shaken itself off leadership woes to put a smile on faces of members.

Members of the Kampala Civil Centre Boda Boda Transporters Cooperative Society (KCCBT) say they faced tremendous challenges and were choked to near giving up when a new opportunity came in the mold of a non-governmental organisation, The Uhuru Institute for Social Development.

“Our cooperative reached a point where it seemed to belong to a few chosen members, privileged to receive services from the cooperative,” William Mubiru, a former board chairperson for the cooperative, said.

He said the cooperative society was marred by acute lack of transparency and accountability, leaving the noble cause they had started to uplift their livelihood suffocating.

As things went from bad to worse, they were hit by internal wrangles as the leaders jostled for any crumb they could lay their hands on while blaming one another for the mess.

Mubiru himself faced the wrath of the wrangles as he was impeached for incompetence in 2016.
When members finally pushed for accountability and the leaders could not account for the savings, the cooperative activities came to a standstill but was saved by the approach of The Uhuru Institute for Social Development whose two-day workshop proved a timely retrospective for the cooperative members to reflect upon their past mistakes.

Amissi Basoga, a pioneer member of the cooperative, said they have grown amid both challenges and success. He reveals that he was able to acquire his own motorcycle after more than 12 years of hiring.

He says this was possible through the Freedom Fund from Uhuru Institute that has enabled KCCBT members acquire more than 50 motorcycles.

To him, what has kept them together as a cooperative is the solidarity and trust among members which has been reinforced through training and emphasis on savings culture.

Leonard Okello, executive director of Uhuru Institute, taught the cooperators on how to carry on their administrative work. He challenged them to learn from their forefathers who succeeded in building large cooperatives under great strain in the 60s and 70s.

Okello said the future of Uganda depends on cooperatives and the strength of each cooperative lies on its membership.

“Cooperatives and their Board of Directors (BOD) look exactly as its members. So if you let the BOD down, even you as members lose out,” Okello said.

Ssekuluma Amiri Ssebowa, the treasurer of KCCBT, admitted that when they started the cooperative society in 2015 with just five motorcycles, they had no idea how to run it. This came with a leadership challenge.

He says by November 2016 – a few months after the Uhuru Institute workshop, they had saved Shs1.8 million, contributions from the 42 members they had at the time.

Today, they are in thousands targeting over Shs18 million by the end of December 2019.

“You can forget the past but you cannot forget what the past taught you,” reflects Mubiru, who recognizes that they have come from far.

He said this teaches the new leadership to be more transparent, accountable and democratic; saying he has faith in the current leadership of Lasto Ssemakula.

The post Makindye Boda Boda Cooperative Shakes off Leadership Woes to Uplift Members appeared first on The Cooperator News.

Masaka Elders Cooperative Saving and Credit Society has been warned it could wind up if the management and financial woes that has dogged it since 2015 is not resolved.

At stake is members’ savings worth Shs170 million that cannot be accounted for, according to audit reports, leaving a section of members demanding for the heads of the current leadership accused of mismanagement and lack of transparency in running the affairs of the cooperative.

The fight between members of Masaka Elders Cooperative Saving and Credit Society and their leaders climaxed last week with the involvement of police.

A meeting called by angry members to decide the fate of the cooperative leadership was thwarted by Board chair Margret Ntambaazi Nabaggala, who wrote to the registrar of cooperatives to gain a directive for the Masaka District Police Commander to block the meeting.

Trouble for the cooperative begun in 2015 when two separate audits found that the cooperative accounts were being mismanaged and millions of shillings could not be accounted for.

Audits carried out by Masaka District Local Government and Bwanika Certified Accountants found that members’ savings, worth Shs170 million, could not be accounted for.

The then manager, Eric Kizza, was sacked following the audits. He was, however, not prosecuted for the loss of funds.

Andrew Mawanda replaced Kizza but efforts to recover the lost monies remained futile. Mawanda is currently on suspension by the board over allegations of financial mismanagement.

Swaibu Makumbi, a delegate from Masaka Municipality to SACCO’s AGM, said the have failed to recover from the shock and are afraid that their savings could “disappear due to gross financial mismanagement and dishonesty that have been inherent of their managers.”

“The society has for quite some time been trapped in internal misunderstandings and intrigue, to the extent of failing to convene meetings to assess its performance. This has seen leaders spend money without approved budgets,” he said.

According to the delegates interviewed by theCooperator, the SACCO has not had a meeting to discuss and settle the ongoing conflicts by the board members.

Rosemary Nantumbwe, a delegate from Kimaamya Kyabukaza sub county, said the society is facing financial challenges, with members currently struggling to access credit.

She says that as delegates, they are considering disbanding the current board to save the society from collapsing as well as save the little money that could still be available.

Board chairperson Nabaggala admitted she was aware of reports of mismanagement. She, however, added that there is an ongoing audit whose report will guide their next course of action as the Board.

“We will take action on any person held liable of any mistakes, and it was actually those investigations that forced the manager to step aside so as not to jeopardize the inquiry,” she said.

Masaka Elders’ Cooperative Society was established in 2006 to primarily attend to the emerging financial needs of the elderly persons in the eight districts of greater Masaka sub region, but it also later brought on board other people.

Each sub county sends two delegates to form the AGM.

Deo Mulindwa, one of the founders, said their monthly savings ranges between Shs2,000 and Shs5,000, with their shares going for Shs10,000 each.

Records indicate that the cooperative currently has a membership of 3,047 people.

The society has been providing credit to farmers who deal in coffee, piggery and poultry at interest rate of 17 percent. It also offers credit to business community at 20 percent interest rate.

The post Masaka Elders’ Cooperative on the Brink After Shs170m Goes Missing appeared first on The Cooperator News.