BUSOGA – The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West Constituency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, has warned political, administrative and technical leaders in the Busoga sub-region against corruption, political interference, favouritism and mismanagement of public resources during the implementation of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund Phase IV (NUSAF IV).
The Minister issued the warning yesterday at Jinja Nile Resort while addressing Resident District/City Commissioners (RDCs/RCCs), their deputies, District Chairpersons, Mayors, Chief Administrative Officers, Town Clerks, district technical officers, local government councillors and other stakeholders during an engagement to prepare local leaders for the programme’s rollout in Busoga.
Hon. Babalanda commended the Office of the Prime Minister and the World Bank for their partnership in advancing the programme, noting that similar engagements had already been conducted in the Acholi, Elgon, Lango, Karamoja and Bukedi sub-regions.
She emphasised that the success of NUSAF IV should not be measured by the amount of money released but by the number of households whose livelihoods are genuinely transformed.
“As a daughter of Busoga and Minister for the Presidency, I have a particular responsibility to ensure that this programme succeeds. I understand the aspirations of our people, the challenges facing our communities and the enormous potential that remains untapped,” she said.
The Minister observed that despite Busoga’s fertile soils, abundant water resources, hardworking population and considerable agricultural potential, poverty, youth unemployment and food insecurity remain significant challenges.
She revealed that approximately 840,700 people in the sub-region account for about 12 per cent of Uganda’s poor population, underscoring the need for effective interventions that translate government resources into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
She explained that NUSAF IV provides an opportunity to address these challenges through enterprise grants supporting agriculture, fisheries and small businesses, alongside labour-intensive public works that provide income while improving community infrastructure.
Strengthening monitoring and accountability
As the Minister responsible for supervising Resident District Commissioners, Hon. Babalanda underscored their central role in safeguarding the programme through effective monitoring, coordination and accountability.
She directed RDCs to regularly visit project sites and beneficiary communities, ensure transparent and fair beneficiary selection, follow up suspected cases of fraud and misuse of funds, coordinate stakeholders and ensure that complaints are documented and addressed.
She cautioned them against becoming passive observers or ceremonial visitors, emphasising the need for a visible presence in the field to establish whether government programmes are reaching their intended beneficiaries.
She also called for coordination and respect for institutional mandates, noting that oversight should not result in duplication or interference with the responsibilities of the Office of the Prime Minister, local governments and programme implementation structures.
Addressing elected political leaders, including District Chairpersons and councillors, the Minister urged them to mobilise communities, explain programme objectives and promote public participation while protecting the initiative from political manipulation.
She stressed that NUSAF IV is a government programme intended for eligible Ugandans and must not be turned into a political reward for supporters or a punishment for political opponents.
“No leader should demand that beneficiaries belong to a particular political group, pay a fee, offer a kickback or surrender part of their grant,” she cautioned.
Hon. Babalanda further tasked Chief Administrative Officers, Town Clerks and district technical officers with ensuring that implementation follows approved procedures, budgets, safeguards and reporting requirements. These include proper beneficiary verification, accurate documentation of grants and payments, expenditure supervision, identification of implementation risks and support for audits and independent verification.
Aligning NUSAF IV with other government programmes
The Minister urged local leaders to ensure that NUSAF IV complements other government poverty eradication and economic empowerment interventions, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP).
She noted that although these programmes have different implementation approaches, their objectives are mutually reinforcing, particularly in increasing household incomes, creating employment, strengthening production and reducing poverty.
She encouraged local governments to coordinate implementation to avoid duplication and double financing while identifying opportunities for beneficiaries to access complementary support, agricultural extension services, savings groups and markets.
On accountability, Hon. Babalanda warned against elite capture, describing it as the manipulation of programme processes by influential individuals seeking to secure resources for themselves, their relatives, associates or political networks at the expense of vulnerable households.
She called for strict adherence to approved beneficiary selection criteria, community verification of beneficiary lists and the use of authorised payment channels.
She further urged public officials to declare and manage conflicts of interest, warning that no one should use public office to obtain personal benefits from programme resources.
On grievance redress, she emphasised the need for safe and accessible mechanisms through which communities can report concerns relating to beneficiary selection, delayed payments, suspected fraud, exclusion and misconduct by officials.
She said complaints must be documented, acknowledged, handled confidentially where necessary and referred to the appropriate authorities for resolution.
Measuring NUSAF IV’s impact
Hon. Babalanda called for evidence-based monitoring and accountability beyond financial reporting, urging leaders to assess whether the programme is achieving its intended outcomes.
She outlined four key areas through which local leaders should assess its impact: inclusion, to establish whether vulnerable households are identified and supported; integrity, to ensure that funds reach beneficiaries and are used for their intended purposes; delivery, to assess whether enterprises and public works meet the required standards; and impact, to establish whether household incomes, food security, employment and resilience are improving.
In her concluding remarks, the Minister appealed to Busoga leaders to demonstrate discipline, integrity and genuine commitment to public service, placing community interests above personal and political considerations.
She urged RDCs to remain vigilant, visible and impartial in their oversight, political leaders to mobilise communities and protect fairness, technical and administrative leaders to uphold professional standards, and citizens to participate actively, demand transparency and report wrongdoing through established channels.
“Let us ensure that NUSAF IV becomes a programme remembered not for the money it spent, but for the families it lifted, the enterprises it strengthened, the jobs it created and the dignity it restored,” she said.
She reiterated the need for collective commitment to eliminating resource diversion, discrimination and corruption while ensuring that no eligible household is left behind through negligence or abuse.
Government extends NUSAF IV to Busoga for the first time
In a separate message delivered by Minister Babalanda, the Minister of State for Northern Uganda, Hon. Beatrice Akello Akori, announced that the Government of Uganda had launched the rollout of NUSAF IV in Busoga, opening new opportunities for poor and vulnerable households to improve their livelihoods, build resilience and participate in economic activities.
Hon. Akello described the programme’s arrival in Busoga as a historic milestone, noting that it is the first time the sub-region has benefited from NUSAF since its inception in 2003.
NUSAF IV is a Government of Uganda programme implemented through 104 beneficiary local governments, with support from the Office of the Prime Minister and other government institutions. It is financed by the World Bank to the tune of US$276 million, comprising a US$250 million credit, and will run until December 2031.
The programme focuses on three key areas: sustainable livelihoods; resilience and human capital development; and strengthening social protection delivery systems.
Under the initiative, poor rural households will receive grants of up to approximately Shs1 million, alongside business skills training, mentorship and market linkages. Young people and women in urban areas will also benefit from entrepreneurship training and business grants.
Other interventions include climate-smart public works, nutrition support for mothers and young children, and direct assistance to extremely poor households unable to participate in public works.
Hon. Akello highlighted Busoga’s significant development needs, noting that approximately 840,700 people live below the poverty line, making the sub-region the second-highest among the nine NUSAF IV beneficiary sub-regions.
She also observed that Busoga, with a population exceeding 4.3 million across 15 local governments, is the most populous sub-region under the programme.
She revealed that approximately 6,200 mothers with young children in Buyende, Mayuge and Namutumba districts will receive nutrition support and counselling to address anaemia and stunting.
In Jinja City and the municipalities of Bugiri, Iganga and Kamuli, young people and women engaged in the informal economy will benefit from entrepreneurship training and business grants.
The Minister further emphasised the importance of establishing the National Social Registry, which will provide reliable household data to guide the identification and selection of beneficiaries for government social protection programmes.
She urged communities to register for National Identity Cards and provide accurate information during household registration exercises to ensure fair and transparent targeting.
On accountability, Hon. Akello cautioned leaders and programme implementers against corruption, favouritism and exploitation of beneficiaries, stressing that no individual should pay money to access NUSAF IV benefits.
She noted that the Inspectorate of Government would play an active role in monitoring implementation through Community Monitoring Volunteers, community scorecards, interface meetings and investigations into complaints.
Beneficiaries will also have access to grievance reporting channels, including SMS, USSD, WhatsApp, toll-free telephone lines and a web portal, while payments will be made through verified bank accounts and mobile money platforms.
She called upon local government leaders, RDCs, security officers and project desk officers to safeguard programme resources, mobilise communities and ensure fair beneficiary selection.
Hon. Akello pledged to personally monitor implementation, conduct unannounced visits to project sites and hold responsible officials accountable for delivering the programme’s intended results.
The rollout of NUSAF IV in Busoga is expected to provide an important opportunity to tackle household poverty, expand economic opportunities and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities through coordinated government interventions.
English 