Teso Emyooga team launches drive to recover loans from defaulters
SOROTI, December 29, 2025 — The Teso Emyooga team has launched a campaign aimed at recovering loans from beneficiaries who have defaulted, in a bid to enhance accountability and ensure effective utilisation of government funds.
The Emyooga funds are part of a presidential initiative designed to promote wealth creation and job development in Uganda. The programme provides financial support and training to citizens organised in specialised enterprise groups and is implemented by the Microfinance Support Centre Ltd [MSC]. Its goal is to transition households from subsistence farming to a market-oriented economy.
The launch took place recently at the Mayor’s Garden in Soroti City. The event brought together representatives from 36 Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [SACCOs] drawn from Soroti City’s East and West divisions. These included SACCOs from the salon, journalism, fisheries, tailoring, mechanics and women entrepreneurs’ sectors, among others.
Frank Alengot, Chairperson of the Teso Sub-region Emyooga Missionaries Team, said the recovery initiative was driven by the beneficiaries themselves.
“Now that it has been launched, we are going to move across all the eleven districts of Teso to ensure that the money is recovered,” Alengot said.
She noted that while efforts are ongoing to mobilise more community members to join the Emyooga programme, loan recovery from defaulters remains a major challenge.
Alengot added that the team has resolved to take responsibility for ensuring repayment, saying they cannot afford to sit back as public funds are lost.
George William Tukei, Soroti City’s Commercial Officer, said executive committees have been elected to spearhead the recovery drive, mobilise communities and work closely with SACCO leadership to improve loan repayment.
“We have challenges with fund recovery, and some SACCOs are underperforming. We believe this forum will help address these issues,” Tukei said.
He singled out Soroti East Division Fishermen SACCO and Soroti City Tailors SACCO in the East Division as top performers, noting that they are setting a positive example for others.
Tukei also observed that the Journalists SACCO and Salon West Division SACCO are struggling but expressed confidence that the forum would encourage leaders to intensify recovery efforts.
He further revealed that some SACCOs have received additional seed capital of up to Shs 70 million or Shs 50mln due to strong performance, urging all SACCOs to improve repayment in order to qualify for more funding.
The Emyooga programme continues to record mixed results across the country. While many areas report success stories and improved livelihoods, others face challenges largely linked to loan recovery and mindset issues, with some beneficiaries mistakenly viewing the funds as political handouts rather than repayable loans.
https://thecooperator.news/hoima-district-struggling-to-recover-shs-1-3bn-from-emyooga-saccos/
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