Red tape frustrating ‘Emyooga’ applicants in Masaka

Beneficiaries are losing interest in the program citing the long bureaucratic tendencies

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Bureaucracy is frustrating the implementation of the new presidential initiative on wealth and job creation dubbed “Emyooga,” Community Development Officers in Masaka have revealed.

According to the program design, groups of people doing similar jobs are expected to organize themselves into savings and credit associations at constituency levels and apply for seed funding of 30 million Shillings from the central government.

However in an evaluation meeting by the Masaka Deputy Resident District Commissioner Asipolo Tayebwa, Community Development Officers from different sub-counties have indicated that the targeted beneficiaries are gradually losing interest in the program citing the long bureaucratic tendencies involved.

Joseph Ssenkungu, the Kyanamukaaka sub-county Community Development Officer says many of the people that had formed groups in the area are angry with him over the delayed release of the funds. He says some of them have lost morale in the project.

According to Ssenkungu, channeling the funds through the Uganda Microfinance Support Center has subjected the beneficiaries to a long list of requirements that include obtaining operational certificates from the Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives, a process many people are unfamiliar with.

Hussein Sseninde, the Buwunga sub county Community Development Officer argues that while they were asked to mobilize people to organize themselves into associations that are eligible for funding, the Microfinance Support Center has since failed to conduct or facilitate training for the beneficiaries about the nitty-gritty of the program hence living them in suspense.

He reveals that some groups are already approaching him demanding that they are deregistered from the program citing the long bureaucratic process.

Wilson Kizza, the Masaka Municipality Senior Community Development Officer challenged the Resident District Commissioner who is in the implementation methodology and works as the district Emyooga program coordinator to engage the implementers to relax the conditions if all the intended groups are to benefit from the program.

Records from the Microfinance Support Center-MCS Masaka branch indicate that only 36 out of the 600 savings groups that had been formed to benefit from the project have fulfilled the set requirements. Of these, only 31 have money deposited in their bank accounts.

Backer Nambaale, the Manager Microfinance Support Centre Masaka branch says they are doing all it takes to ensure that the project is a success as planned. He has challenged the Community Development Officers and other implementing stakeholders to disclose to them all the challenges encountered in the field such that they can provide appropriate solutions for them.

Asipolo Tayebwa, the Masaka Deputy Resident District Commissioner says his office is going to compile a report on the challenges and accordingly report to the relevant authorities to forge a way forward.

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