PADER-Local politicians in Pader district have been accused of asking cooperatives to give them money whenever they are invited to attend meetings meant to help cooperatives to prosper.
According to Robert Okumu, the chairperson Acholi –bur Cooperative Society found in Acholi bur Sub-county, they have now stopped inviting local politicians when discussing matters concerning the cooperatives.
“They demand for fuel and facilitation which we cannot afford to give them, something that has forced us to stop inviting them,” Okumu said.
He said they used to invite the politicians thinking they would help in mobilising other members of the community to join the cooperative but also help the cooperative in resource mobilisation.
“We thought, they [politicians] would be a driving force in bringing new members on board and also help us in resource mobilisation, but to our dismay, they have turned out to be a cost to us,” he said.
“We expect local politicians to lobby for the cooperative but they instead want us to give them our small savings,” he said.
However, Johnson Okot, Acholi-bur Sub-county chairperson denied the allegations against politicians, adding that in the recent meeting, it was only him who was invited.
“It is not true, the leadership of the cooperative rarely calls us or councilors for any engagement,’’ he said.
The resident district commissioner Pader, Milton Odongo, has however called for a dialogue between the politicians and the cooperative leadership for each to know their roles.
“Politicians should instead play a lobbying role to see that the cooperative and its income-generating activities are embraced to boost household incomes of community members,” he said.
Odongo said the cooperative’s leadership has not reached out to his office on the matter for redress, adding that politicians asking cooperatives for money are doing it in bad faith.
The cooperative deals majorly in cotton growing, sorghum, and sim-sim.
Late last year, Acholi- bur Cooperative decried that it had no funds to run its activities.
https://thecooperator.news/acholi-farmers-urged-to-join-cooperatives/
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