Kiryandongo residents want Emyooga conditions “relaxed”

KIRYANDONGO – Residents of Kiryandongo district have asked the government to consider relaxing some of the conditions laid out before a person accesses funds under the Emyooga programme.

While meeting their constituency Members of Parliament (MPs) over the weekend, residents said the conditions set are limiting their ability to borrow and improve on their household income and well being.

Kiryandongo is made up of three constituencies which include; Kibanda South and North and the two constituencies are represented by Hon. Jacob Karubanga and Hon. Linos Ngompek respectively, while Hon. Hellen Kahunde is the Woman Member of Parliament.

During a meeting held at Kigumba sub-county headquarters, SACCO leaders prepared a report on issues affecting them and presented it to their MPs while alleging that the programme may not ably help them if it has stringent conditions attached.

“The government started this programme to help us fight poverty but it is becoming hard. We were told we need to have saved at least 30% of the money we need to borrow, but that is a tough and stringent condition. Besides that, the money given to SACCOs is also not enough,” the report read.

https://thecooperator.news/sacco-leaders-in-masindi-disagree-over-emyooga-savings-requirement/

Isaac Museveni Ulama, the Chairperson LC3 for Kigumba sub-county said there is a lot of bureaucracy when one wants to access the money thus limiting beneficiaries in addition to the 12% interest rate attached.

“There are too many forms to fill and unfortunately, a person is made to move for so many days before the entire process is completed. The process is too long and discouraging,” Ulama said.

Kenneth Kyaligonza, the Chairperson of Kibanda South Carpenters’ SACCO, said the guidelines were not well articulated to the masses before the programme was rolled out.

“This money came at a critical time of election campaigns and most people thought it was ‘free.’ Many people are still finding it hard to understand the conditions because they had different expectations,” Kyaligonza said.

However, Karubanga said, “this is a revolving fund and you must respect it. All of you cannot get money at once. Borrowers should respect the conditions set and pay back in time such that others can also benefit. If you handle the programme well, you will all benefit in the end,” Karubanga said.

However, Ngompek said the conditions set to access the money are meant to ensure that borrowers show commitment.

“When the Youth Livelihood Project was started, many people misused it by either marrying more women or wasting it in bars and it was hard to trace such money. However, the 30% savings you are being asked for are a sign of commitment that you will pay back,” Ngompek said.

When contacted, Kiryandongo District Commercial Officer, Sam Kakumba said the district received over Shs 1bn which was distributed among 35 SACCOs.

“Kibanda North has 18 SACCOs while Kibanda South has 17 and each has an average of seven associations. Each SACCO received Shs 30m except the ones for local leaders which got Shs 50m each. Each constituency has one local leaders’ SACCO. Apparently, 40 associations from different Emyooga SACCOs have received funds,” Kakumba said.

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Staff Housing Project At Gulu Hospital Still Stalling

GULU – The construction of multibillion staff housing at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital has failed to get complete eight years after it was commissioned.

The hospital had secured Shs 6.8 billion from the government through the Ministry of Health in 2014 for the building which would accommodate at least 54 of its medical workers.

Block Technical Services, a local construction company was awarded a 3-year contract in 2014 and the building was expected for use in late 2017.

The Hospital Acting Principal Administrator Otim Onegiu James told theCooperator in a recent interview that the building has not been completed eight years later.

Otim explained that the hospital has extended the contract twice to the contractor but the work is still far from completion following a limited disbursement of the funds from the government.

He however disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has approved 1.2 billion in this financial year for continuity of the work with about Shs 2 billion already spent in the past years of the construction.

“We don’t know how long it will take to complete the building but if there is anything the hospital urgently needs now, it is to offer accommodation for staff looking at their meagre pay,” Otim added.

The Hospital Senior Principal Nursing Officer Norah Nakato however noted that the hospital has lost control on time management during this period of Covid-19 pandemic.

“Majority are renting in the outskirts of the City where they can afford but this is a nurse you must call for an emergency and that is how we always lose the golden minute to save a life,” Nakato recounted.

Though she could not give details of the number of lives the hospital could have lost with poor time management, she says that the time management is life saving which the hospital has missed.

She identified the most affected units as maternity, the acute children’s’ ward, psychiatric ward, genecology and the general medicine ward that need urgent responses and attendance.

Some of the medical workers spoke to theCooperator on the challenges they battle with from home to hospital for work.

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Atoo Samuel, an enrolled nurse attached to the outpatient department says that he has to move from home to the hospital about 4 kilometres away.

“I have to fore go lunch in order to save some money for rent and the family and foot to the hospital daily which would then cost me over 60,000 shillings for transport” Atoo added.

His counterpart Madia Ezira who works in a psychiatric department says he had spent more than Shs 1.5 million in the one year he spent outside but was lucky to be offered a single room from the hospital.

“Even if I can’t bring my family here to live with me, I am happy that I can save some money now and share with them” Madia speaks with relief to theCooperator.

With a total of 331 staff, the hospital is currently accommodating 20 of the medical workers, most of whom are doctors, nurses and midwives according to the Human Resource Department.

Last Friday afternoon, the construction work was going on with a handful of a technical team on the site but the site supervisor declined to speak on the progress of the work.

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OWC to Cluster Beneficiaries For Value Addition

GULU – The second phase of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) is aiming at clustering beneficiaries into primary and secondary societies, to enable them add value to their products and increase the market.

This is according to Lt Gen Angina Charles, the out-going Deputy Chief Coordinator (DCC) of OWC.

While handing over office to the new DCC, Maj Gen Kavuma Sam at the 4th Division Barracks in Gulu City; Maj Gen Kavuma said the second phase of OWC which started this year running to 2026, will ensure that benefiting households that operated individually, are put into groups of about 30 households, depending on enterprise choices that do well in their environment, for them to reap more benefits.

“If we are able to work around that, then whatever facilities will be shared in common. They can then do some value addition and not sell their produce in raw form, which fetches a low price,” Angina said.

Angina, also noted that Uganda loses a lot of waste that could be turned into manure, animals, and poultry feeds, because of selling unprocessed farm produce.

https://thecooperator.news/cassava-value-addition-to-support-livestock-feedlot-technology/

“For instance, people carry a whole banana from Mbarara to Kampala, yet people in Kampala just need the peeled bananas. All these peels we bring to Kampala only burden KCCA and the government again has to spend money to collect the waste, which should have remained in the farms to be used as manure,” he said.

Angina reasoned that when benefitting farmers are clustered, they will produce in bulk and this will make it easier to get for them big and better markets, as bigger markets require a huge volume.

“Depending on the volume of their production, it will be easy to lobby for the cottage industry, medium industry, or major industry,” Angina said.

He also said, “Having industries would mean that even if there is no market for crops like maize; we can process it to posho, baby’s food, cornflakes, ethanol or sanitizers, to fit demand in the internal market. So, there is quite a lot that can be achieved.”

“The residues can still be processed to animal and poultry feeds. All these were lost because we would sell all the maize in grains, and we lost all the benefits that could have caused economic transformation for our people,” Angina further remarked.

On why OWC has not had a great impact on the lives of beneficiaries, Angina said the problem was because the resources have been scattered and given to beneficiaries who were not ready or willing to take up a particular enterprise. In the second phase, inputs will be procured by the beneficiaries, to synchronize their planting.

The first phase of OWC acted like a vehicle for enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural reforms in the households and community with more emphasis on input distribution and enterprise development.

However, there have been numerous complaints of distribution of poor-quality seeds compounded by late, or early distribution.

“Resources went into input procurements, and yet during distribution, you find that the beneficiaries are not ready and all those inputs went to waste as the beneficiaries dumped them in the compound or put them under verandas.

“Now OWC will not be blamed for taking inputs too early or too late, because the money will arrive in time and farmers who are organized will buy what they want depending on when it will rain in their area. Complaints of buying poor quality inputs will not be there because now the traceability of who has brought the input at the farm service center and agriculture authority will be there to certify,” he said.

Kavuma, the new DCC said there is need to also change the mindset of the beneficiaries.

“As we carry on with the activity of helping our people, we need to mobilize beneficiaries, enter their brains, and show them the opportunities that both God and the government have given, otherwise, they will remain poor,” Kavuma said.

Mindset change, he said, was what has been lacking since OWC started.

OWC was launched by President Museveni in July 2013 in Nakaseke district with the main objective of raising household incomes by transforming subsistence farmers into commercial farmers.

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Nebbi Municipality Generates Local Revenue In Lockups Giveaway

NEBBI – Nebbi Municipal Council has generated more than Shs 200 million local revenue in lockups give away to local developers for the construction of taxi and bus terminals.

The construction of taxi and bus terminals in Nebbi municipality on Nebbi – Arua road is one of the strategies aimed at boosting local revenue for the council in an effort to implement the basic priority
areas of garbage collection and road maintenance.

Nebbi taxi and bus terminals construction site was leased in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) by the municipal council for the periods of 15 years and thereafter, the council will take over the management of the terminals.

The construction of taxi and bus terminals according to authorities, will take the period of two to three months to be completed.

https://thecooperator.news/gulu-regional-referral-hospital-gets-funding-for-regional-incinerator/

According to Abwooli Makune William , the Town Clerk Nebbi Municipality, Shs 200 million raised by council will be used to re-activate some of the activities which the council failed to implement due to budget cut in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Makune says, 534 developers each paid Shs 500,000 for a 4 by 4, and 4 by 3metre room, 418 developers paid Shs 200,000 meanwhile 8 developers each paid Shs 3 million each for the bus terminal space of 28 by 30 metres .

“Last year, the council realized a drastic decline in revenue collections instead of collecting the projected amount of Shs 790 million from local revenue, the council only collected Shs 500 million but if the taxi and bus terminals are completed, the council will come up with additional revenue to boost local revenues,” Abwooli said.

His Lordship the Mayor Nebbi Municipality Ngiriker Geoffrey says, for many years, municipal authorities were in running battles with taxi operators over street loading of passengers but if the taxi and bus terminals are fully complete, the local revenue wouldn’t be a problem in the near future since all vehicles will be in a confined place.

Ngiriker added that, the construction of taxi and bus terminals is aimed at providing a temporary accommodation for traders who will be displaced by the construction of the modern market in the municipality which will soon begin.

“The bus and taxi terminals will not only provide local revenues to council but also provide employment to all categories of abled working persons,” Ngiriker said.

One of the developers Adubango MacDonald says, a 15 year time period given by the municipal to the developers to utilize the lockups being constructed is too short for someone to realize the money spent in raising the lockups.

Adubango adds that, they abandoned the municipals Bill of Quantity (BOQ) after they detected a lot of irregularities in the BOQ because a temporary structure of a single room of 4 by 4 metres with mud motta can’t cost Shs 5 million, but the municipal engineers costed a single room at Shs 5m.

“We were given the BOQ which were not economical to us, that’s why we abandoned the BOQ and are using our own,” Adubango said.

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Oil And Gas Sector Tickles Tycoons To Form Association

HOIMA – As Uganda heads towards the oil and gas production phase, businessmen and women in Bunyoro sub-region have started a process of forming an association which will help them tap into the oil and gas opportunities.

Recently a group of tycoons appointed the interim executive committee and named their association as Albertine Oil and Gas Suppliers Association.

Some of the interim executive committee members are; Biingi Kawiso Julius who was appointed as Interim Chairperson, Owori Martin as Interim Executive Secretary and former Permanent Secretary (PS) Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Dr Kabagambe Kalisa who is the Interim Patron of the association.

Others are; Biribonwa Joseph- Interim Member, and Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Byakutaga- Andrew.

Speaking to theCooperator news, Kawiso said that they developed the idea of forming the association after realizing that they lacked a forum to bring business men and women together to advocate for their rights in regard to the oil and gas sector.

He says that the association was formed but they haven’t registered it adding that plans are under way to legalize their association.

“We haven’t decided on the membership fee and the number of the members the association should have but we encourage business people to subscribe to the association once they have registered businesses” Biingi explained, adding that all those issues will be discussed in their second upcoming meeting.

According to him, the association will act as a forum for investors within the Albertine sub- region who are actively operating reputable businesses to prepare and build capacities to meet the standards required to offer goods and services in the oil and gas industry.

He added that the association will also provide an apex body of eminent persons who will advocate and lobby on behalf of members for consideration of business opportunities in industry.

Biingi explained that through the association, they are able to get information and guidance on upcoming oil and gas opportunities among others.

He noted that the oil and gas sector will provide the region with better opportunities and this requires them to get prepared if they are to tap in the sector.

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He explained that the business of oil and gas continues to be challenging, complex and sometimes uncertain and this calls for business communities to have strong partnerships to rely on to benefit from the sector as local suppliers.

In a recent association virtual meeting Kyaligonza Mathew, the National Content Manager China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) oriented the association on available opportunities in the oil and gas sector.

Kyaligonza, highlighted several ongoing oil and gas projects such as construction of critical oil roads, airport, pipeline and refinery construction as some of the opportunities business community and residents of Bunyoro can benefit from either directly or indirectly.

He noted that security services, transport, health, accommodation and catering among others are some of the ring-fenced opportunities for the local suppliers.

However, he says that there is a need for business communities in Bunyoro, to prepare for the sector by registering on the National Supplier Data Base and keep updated with the oil and gas information.

He also challenged the business community to join strong partners with experiences in the sector; form associations which will help them share information and form joint ventures if they are to reap big from the lucrative oil sector.

Agaba Edgar, one of the association members and Managing Director of Spice FM based in Hoima town said that the formation of the association was long overdue adding that oil and gas as well as other sectors will provide several opportunities.

He advised that there should be a way of getting farmers organized in groups or cooperatives to be able to produce quality products to supply the sector.

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Museveni To Farmers: Don’t Overprice Milk

KAMPALA – Insidious cattle diseases such as Foot and Mouth and Anthrax have diminished the quality of the country’s animal products, made farmers to overprice milk and narrowed their competitive edge in the international market”, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tubuhaburwa has said.

“The global demand for milk products is 906 billion litres valued at US$ 458 billion therefore our present production of 2.6 billion litres of milk can enter the global market provided you solve the problem of cattle diseases such as Foot and Mouth, Contagious Bovine Pleuro Pneumonia (CBPP) and Anthrax and of course also offer competitive prices,” the president said in his annual State of the Nation Address last week at Kololo Independence Grounds.

“Therefore, the Banyankore I once met at Rwakitura clamoring to over price milk need to know more about this global competition for market with countries such as New Zealand and Holland,” the president added.

“So, one day I attended a meeting at Rwakitura with the Banyankore. They said we want more money for our milk but if you overprice milk, how will it compete in London, Beijing, New Delhi and New York with milk from other countries? So, we need to wake up our people that we are struggling in a global environment,” he said.

Museveni said Uganda needs to produce quality products to compete internationally.

“Our people need to know that if we are to compete for global markets, our products must be of good quality, must be safe but also cheaper than what other countries are offering,” he said, adding that finding market for agricultural products is not an issue, the post-harvest mishandling of the products is.

“The global demand for maize and maize products is 852 million metric tons valued at US$ 152 billion therefore our production of five million tons of maize can be absorbed provided we solve the problem of quality, getting rid of the shameful aflatoxins- caused by people who mishandle food during harvesting. Why do you mishandle people’s food?” Museveni asked

He said demand for Ugandan products is high.

“Fortunately, the global demand is able to take all the coffee because the global coffee demand is 166.34 million tons and the global demand for milk products is 906 billion litres, valued at US$ 458.1 billion. Therefore, our present production of 2.6 billion liters of milk, can enter the global market provided we solve the problem of cattle diseases (Foot and Mouth, CBPP, anthrax),” he said.

He also appealed to all Ugandans to join the money economy through practicing commercial farming.

“Let all the leaders stop confusing people by sending contradictory or divergent messages. The NRM message ever since 1966 has been; all homesteads should join the money economy and stop working just for the stomach,” Museveni said.

He said the performance of industries in Uganda is still held back by the heavy costs of manufacturing, which include; exploitative commercial bank loans and high transport among others.

“In addition to our long-term goal of building a modern standard gauge railway, we are together with Kenya, rehabilitating the metric-gauge railway for immediate use because by road, a 20ft container costs US$19000 and a 40ft costs US$3200 to Mombasa yet by rail it costs only US$1400 for a 20ft and US$1900 for a 40ft, respectively,” he said.

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He also nudged the youths to adopt technology which will address unemployment in Uganda.

“I have been urging our people in the ICT sector to take advantage of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in the world. India is earning US$191billion per year from this business of BPOs and employing 1.1million young people,” the president explained

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a method of subcontracting various business-related operations to third-party vendors.

Museveni said he will not accept the minimalist approach of the Ministry of Finance where Ugandans generate wealth that is smaller than that of individual companies in some parts of the world.

“By 2026, Uganda’s population will be 48 million people. If each person is earning US$3,000, that will be US$144billion. Yet US$3,000 per person per year translates to Shs10.8million per year and this will just be people’s incomes, without including infrastructure,” he said.

However, the president believes that once COVID19 is kicked out, Uganda’s economy will resurrect.

“Before the Corona, we were earning US$1.5billion from tourism alone, hotels, banking, music, sports and professional services were moving on well until corona came in,” Museveni said.

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Aupi Community Cooperative Fails To Cultivate Land

YUMBE – Aupi Community Cooperative farmers struggled for three years to find money to buy 200 acres of farmland.

Now, they can’t cultivate the huge acreage in the West Nile district of Yumbe.

They need tractors to open up the farmland but can’t find any to hire.

According to managers of Aupi Community Savings and Credit Cooperative Society, demand for agricultural products soared in Yumbe District spurred by the huge influx of refugees in need of food.

Farmers couldn’t match the demand for food since they didn’t have tractors to open up huge acreage of arable land.

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The Board Chairman of the cooperative Tohaabubakar Ijoga said, “Aupi cooperative has committed members who are ready to practice commercial agriculture but due to inaccessibility of tractor hire services by the group, members have resorted to small scale agriculture for domestic use.”

He said the cooperative has only Shs 65 million, which is too little to buy a tractor.

Meanwhile, Leonard Okello, the chief executive officer of Uhuru Institute for Social Development, advised the management of Aupi Cooperative to apply for tractors through government programmes such as Operational Wealth Creation (OWC).

“Use the available government programmes to bail you out from poverty, e.g. parish model and OWC, which target to eradicate poverty among organized and focused members in the community,” Okello said.

Amana Small, a member of the cooperative, said the members’ reluctance to repay loans has held back the cooperative’s progress and capacity to own tractors.

She said if the cooperative owned a tractor; it would be easier for group members to hire it at a low cost compared to tractors hired from private individuals.

She said hiring a tractor costs Shs120, 000 per acre and it’s hard to place an order because everyone wants to hire that one tractor.

“Uhuru please help us with a tractor such that we practice commercial agriculture for economic transformation,” Amana said.

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Traditional Herbalists In Tree Restoration Drive

GULU – Traditional herbalists in Acholi sub-region allied to Wise Women Uganda are replanting indigenous herbal trees, which are facing extinction.

Some of the endangered tree species include; Afzelia Africana, commonly known as Beyo and shea-nut, found only in Acholi and some parts of West Nile.

The trees are being felled indiscriminately by timber and charcoal dealers.

https://thecooperator.news/farmers-unite-to-push-shea-nuts-prices-up/

However, about 40 women, mainly traditional herbalists and birth attendants, said that in the past they could easily get indigenous medicinal trees and shrubs to treat patients but to date they can hardly find any.

Juliet Adoch, the director Wise Women Uganda, told theCooperator that they bought seven acres of land in 2016 to plant medicinal trees and shrubs.

“In our umbrella organization, we have traditional healers and traditional birth attendants and we all use medicinal trees to heal several ailments among the population, but since most of the indigenous tree species could not be found, we have embarked on restoration,” she said

She said they have several seedlings of Beyo, Shea-nut trees.

The women have also distributed seeds to farmers in the region and sensitized them on the medicinal benefits of indigenous trees.

Grace Acayo, a traditional healer, said they have struggled to get seeds of both Afzelia Africana and Shea-nut.

“A lot has been injected in this restoration initiative but all was aimed at seeing that indigenous trees are grown once again,” she said.

The tree replanting initiative has also been taken to schools so that the young generation can also embrace it as a means of fighting natural calamities that might result from environmental degradation.

The District Forest Officer James Ocaka lauded the initiative and urged the entire population to borrow a leaf from the women.

“Reforestation should be our responsibility and since women have taken the lead, there is a lot to learn from them,” he advised.

He however, decried the indiscriminative cutting of trees in the region.

In 2018, the Ministry of Water and Environment, suspended the cutting, transportation, and sale of Afzelia Africana and shea nut trees, and their products.

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Build Factories, Farmers Tell OWC

AMURU – The pitiable retail prices of crops grown out of seeds supplied by Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) has remained a subject of vast disagreement between the beneficiary farmers and the program officials in the northern district of Amuru.

Farmers are demanding that OWC builds factories and industries in Amuru District to help farmers add value to their produce.

Interviewed by theCooperator, farmers said OWC has given them planting materials of citrus, cassava and potatoes, but when the crops are harvested they fetch far too little on the market.

Jalia Kalenga Amuge, a citrus farmer, said OWC should help farmers add value to their produce.

“Well, we appreciate the program since right now food production is on the rise but it has not helped us much in areas of surplus for sell. We sell whatever we produce in its raw form, which is costing the farmers a lot,” she said.

Juma Olum said cassava prices are demoralizing. “The only factory in the region cannot consume what we produce. That leaves farmers with no choice but to sell at a giveaway price to the middlemen,” he said.

Simon Peter Komakech, the Amuru OWC District Agricultural Officer, told theCooperator that failure to add value to produce remains a big challenge for farmers across the district.

https://thecooperator.news/five-cooperative-owned-cassava-factories-nearing-completion-in-nebbi-district/

Some farmers are demoralized and have restricted themselves to growing only food for domestic consumption.

“You imagine a sack of fresh cassava being sold at only Shs 20,000 and that can go down to Shs 15,000,”’ he said

Komakech said value addition is the way to go much as many farmers cannot afford it.

“At times we imagine that even if farmers are empowered to add value to what they produce, where will they find the market for their produce?” he said.

OWC Spokesperson Kiconco Tabaro advised farmers to use the available factories within their areas to add value to produce.

“They shouldn’t lose hope, but they should team up and find a solution to the problem. The government is soon unveiling a plan to have factories in areas where production is high so that value is added on to what farmers produce,” he advised.

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Emyooga Program Is Not Political –Lira RDC

LIRA –Appearing on 88.0 Voice of Lango FM, Lira Deputy Resident Commissioner rigorously fended off pointed allegations that the Presidential Initiative On Job and Wealth Creation, Emyooga program, was introduced to benefit President Museveni’s re-election.

Speaking on Coop Talks on April 20, a radio-talk show sponsored by The Uhuru Institute for Social Development, James Chemutai, said they have heard malicious rumors, which are false that Emyooga program was a political campaign tool.

The malicious rumor, he said, has been propelled by some local leaders, who did not understand the concept of the new government program.

Chemutai said the Emyooga program was established to empower Ugandans with seed capital to fight unemployment. He urged people to steer away from political propaganda.

“Emyooga program targets Ugandans, especially in the informal sector that come together and form savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) under 18 Clusters,” he said.

Chemutai said the clusters include; boda-boda riders, taxi drivers, restaurants, welders, market vendors, women entrepreneurs, youth leaders, people with disabilities, journalists, performing artists, carpenters, salon operators, tailors, mechanics, produce dealers, veterans, fishermen and elected leaders.

From the time of its launch in August, 2019 by President Yoweri Museveni, Chemutai noted that about 51 SACCOs including, 33 from Erute North and Erute South constituencies, and 18 in Lira City have already received Shs 30 million each.

Several emyooga beneficiaries who called into the talk show, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the program is handled by the responsible government officials. They said some beneficiaries have either failed to get the funds or get less than expected.

Emmanuel Ogwal, a youth chairperson of Dokolo North Carpenters’ Association, which comprises 30 members, said they were given Shs 30 million but were told to first raise Shs 500 million from other sources before withdrawing the cash.

Lillian Owino, an entrepreneur from Alebtong district, said there are too many fees beneficiaries pay before they finally get the money. She said, however that before she got her money, she was asked whether she supported NRM. When she said yes, her papers were processed.

Denis Okonye from Abim district decried the long process and troubles beneficiaries have to endure including walking for several days to the offices to access the money.

Okonye wondered why government does not use the established structures in different sectors including member-associations like Uganda Manufacturers Association.

In response, Lira district Commercial Officer, Josephine Alobo said they have been gathering people’s views on the rescue funds and are compiling a paper to submit to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development for redress.

Alobo said the red-tape is meant to ensure the money is not mismanaged. She however, reminded emyooga beneficiaries to save a lot.

“It’s only a foolish farmer who begins to cook the seed and eat it up, the president has made an initiative to give you the seed and it’s upon you to grow or plant this seed so that you can be able to get many seeds, so that at the end of the day you are socially and economically empowered,” she noted.

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