MTIC holds cooperative clinic in Jinja to revitalise Busoga sector

JINJA, February 5, 2026 — The continued collapse of cooperatives in the Busoga Sub-region has left many residents trapped in persistent poverty and slowed local development, with some families unable to afford basic necessities such as food due to lack of income.

The decline of cooperatives in Busoga has largely been attributed to political interference, poor leadership, mismanagement, corruption among cooperative leader. These challenges have left many cooperative members uncertain about their future.

In response, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives [MTIC] has pitched camp in Jinja City for four days for an initiative dubbed the “Cooperative Clinic”, aimed at revitalising the sector. The clinic seeks to educate cooperative members and prospective cooperators, register new cooperatives, certify existing ones, and encourage collective growth.

On Wednesday, more than 50 SACCOs affiliated with Born Again Churches attended the clinic to receive training as cooperative facilitators.

Bugweri District Commercial Officer, Kyampa Lubanga, said the exercise is part of MTIC’s mandate to strengthen cooperatives across Uganda.

“We are responding to the call from MTIC to train, register and certify cooperatives, including those that have been on probation,” Kyampa said.

“All SACCOs in Busoga have been invited. Some are here for renewal, others for registration, while some are redundant despite holding permanent certificates,” he added.

Kyampa noted that although Busoga has many fully registered cooperatives, a significant number are inactive compared to other regions.

“It is true we have many cooperatives in Busoga, but they are not progressing. When you look at regions like Ankole, Bugisu and Buganda, SACCOs are performing well. The ministry is here to understand why Busoga is lagging behind and to address those challenges,” he explained.

He further said the MTIC clinic aims to decentralise services and bring them closer to the people, especially those who cannot afford to travel to the ministry’s headquarters in Kampala for registration and certification.

Kyampa also dismissed allegations that MTIC was in the region to increase tax collections from cooperatives, noting that government exempted cooperatives from income tax from 2017 until 2027.

“The government is interested in seeing people grow together through cooperatives. That is why cooperatives were exempted from income tax until 2027,” he said.

Meanwhile, Scovia Tusubira, a trainer from MTIC, said the ministry is working closely with other stakeholders to fulfil its mandate.

“The ministry organised this cooperative clinic together with partners to deliver services directly to cooperatives,” Tusubira said.

She added that MTIC has already registered new cooperatives, assessed those on probation, certified permanent ones, and supported groups seeking registration.

“Although many cooperatives in the Busoga region are registered, they are not performing well. That is why the ministry is here — to train them on how they can improve and operate sustainably,” she said.

https://thecooperator.news/mtic-to-conduct-cooperative-clinic-in-jinja-city/

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