KABAROLE: The Microfinance Support Center (MSC), Kabarole Zonal Manager, Emmanuel Mbogha has said, the Rwenzori sub-region local leaders are performing poorly in the Emyooga program.
Mbogha said the general recovery of funds is still below average which he attributed to the impact of COVID-19 when some businesses were closed down during the lockdown.
“Most associations were affected by the lockdown and this has led to poor performance of the Emyooga program as far as loan recovery is concerned,” Mbogha made this remark, during a training of trainers at Ataco Country Resort in Fort Portal City.
The purpose of the training was to equip the foot soldiers in the implementation of the program on what is going forward.
The training was attended by the District Commercial Officers (DCO), some Emyooga SACCO leaders, Microfinance Support Center staff among others.
Mbogha said, Rwenzori local leaders are the worst performing group and there is need to engage them so that they can start paying back.
The Rwenzori local leaders SACCOs received Shs 50m each for every district to improve their livelihood.
He further said, local artists are also not doing well as a result of lockdown as they have not been performing.
However, he noted that women entrepreneurs in Fort Portal City and hotel owners in Kasese district are doing very well with their recovery at 100%.
“We disbursed Shs 15bn to 13 districts that make Kabarole zonal area. This was disbursed to 503 SACCOs within 28 constituencies,” he said.
He noted that the biggest challenge they have encountered so far is related to mindset change as people have not appreciated the program.
The Emyooga Regional Coordinator for Tooro sub-region, John Turinawe said, the sustainability of these SACCOs lies in the hands of technical teams not politicians.
“The issue of mindset change should be a point forward. From the start, this program was politicized, the opposition used it during campaigns and people took it that way,” he said.
Turinawe added that people should leave politics out of this program for them to benefit.
The Member of Parliament representing Burahya constituency in Kabarole district Hon. Steven Kagwera said poor leadership is killing SACCOs.
“There is a need to take serious action on people embezzling SACCO money. The mismanagement of SACCO money is due to poor leadership and no action is taken leading SACCOs to collapse,” he said.
Background
Emyooga is a presidential initiative aimed at wealth and job creation. The programme was launched by the President of Uganda in August 2019 as part of government’s continuous strategies to transform 68% of Ugandan homesteads from subsistence to market-oriented production.
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