The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum district has halted the Emyooga program in the sub-counties of Orom, Namokora, Omiya Anyima and Mucwini all in Chua East constituency.
Early this week, the office of the Resident District Commissioner and the District Commercial officer commenced the process of electing executives for Apex SACCOs at the constituency level in line with a new scope of Emyooga.
As opposed to the executives elected at the sub-county level, the new directive requires each of the group validated to elect five new executive members at the constituency level in each category and open new accounts.
But in Chua East Constituency, the exercise which kicked off in Namokora town council was characterized by resistance from the various verified group members.
Scovia Atim, the treasurer of Latuturu Saloon Operators comprising of 15 members in Omiya Anyima sub-county says they rejected the proposals of jointly owning an account with group members from three other sub-counties in Chua East over concerns of mistrust.
“We don’t like this arrangement because in our group we know each other, it’s better to manage the fund when it’s disbursed other than coming together with people from a different sub-county whose background records are unclear,” Atim told URN in an interview.
She advised the officials in charge of the Emyooga fund to re-adjust their proposals to allow groups only to merge at the sub-county.
Omiya Anyima sub county LCIII chairperson Julius Peter Otto says the program may fail to attain it’s intended purpose if readjustments are not made.
“How is it possible to elect a leader in the group that you don’t know and haven’t worked with. How can these group members even work together and manage funds in millions with someone unknown to them in a different sub-county?” He asked.
In Namokora sub-county where a total of 24 groups had been verified, the members also rejected the new arrangement of electing new executives and opening new joint accounts with other groups in the same category but from different sub-county.
Namokora sub-county LCIII chairperson Robert Ocana says that the group members in the sub-county had already opened up accounts and elected executive members but were stormed to conduct fresh elections with no clear information.
Ocana notes that as a local leader, his office wasn’t also informed of the new directive and exercise that kicked off to enable him to explain to the locals.
“When such an initiative is rolled out, communication should be clear and the local leaders should be involved so that if there are changes, they are in the best position to convince their people,” says Ocana.
David Aisu, Kitgum District Internal Security Officer says that the various group members could have missed out on information on the current exercise prompting them to reject it.
“The case of Chua East, the information seemed not to have got well with the people who thought the money was going to be channeled to the sub-county and then to their accounts for them to easily access it,” Says Aisu.
He notes that the office of the RDC and that of the commercial officer is expected to reach out to the beneficiaries through sensitization so that they can constitute an executive leadership for easy access to the fund.
Aisu however says the exercise has been successful in Chua West and Kitgum Municipality where a total of 33 associations comprised of hundreds of members managed to elect their executives and opened up accounts.
A total of 1,337 groups applied for the Emyooga fund but only 1,279 were approved.
Under the Emyooga, each constituency will receive shillings 620 million for 18 groups dealing in 18 different categories. They include among others boda boda operators, salon operators, market vendors, mechanics, tailors, veterans, fishermen, private teachers SACCO, produce buyers, persons with a disability, welders, taxi operators and restaurant owners.
Parliament has so far approved 170 Billion Shillings out of the 260 Billion Shillings budgeted for Emyooga funds.
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