A 24-year old Aloysius Ssentongo owns a Chapati stall in Kalisizo town council in Kyotera district. He employs two other helpers to ensure his business runs smoothly. His business is just recovering after losing all his working items to thieves three weeks ago.
Through the Emyooga Scheme, Ssentongo was optimistic that he will be able to acquire a loan to expand his business.
The scheme is a Presidential Initiative on jobs and wealth creation. It was launched in 2019 to help Ugandans through Savings and Credit Cooperatives Organisations (SACCOs.
However, Ssentongo’s dream was not realized because the 20-member Chapati Dealers Association he subscribes to was not reconsidered to benefit from the scheme even when they attended several meetings and presented all the required paperwork.
“I was forced to get a bank loan which has tough strings attached to keep my business. Had we been registered, then I would be far and I would be employing more of my fellow youths,” he said.
According to Ssentongo, the scheme was politicised and it favoured some people while others were sidelined.
Several small-scale business operators share the same plight with Ssentongo and are cursing the criteria that was used to distribute the taxpayers’ money and how the selection process was conducted.
Ronald Muwonge, a boda boda operator in Kyotera, said it is unfortunate that most of them were not enrolled by the associations and SACCO leaders for being supporters of the opposition.
He says that he was denied an opportunity by through which he expected to get a loan and top it up to get a motorcycle for his brother. “My fellow bodaboda riders with whom we had different political ideologies rejected me for supporting another candidate and I ended up losing the opportunity” he recounted.
Paul Kiganda, a laundry owner in Kalisizo, said that their SACCO was rejected for the reason that they applied late. He explained that they wanted to get the loans to upgrade their laundry business from manual (hand) washing to laundry machines.
“The truth we applied late and we were not considered but we still need the funds to help us improve our business. Some of us are old and we find hard time washing clothes manually,” he said.
Distribution
According to Frank Xavier Mbajjo, the District Commercial Officer (DCO), also the Focal Person of the Emyooga Scheme, Kyotera received sh1,090,000,000 (one billion ninety million shillings) and 35 SACCOs benefited from it.
Mbajjo said eighteen (18) SACCOs in Kyotera constituency received Ugx560m and seventeen (17) in Kakuuto constituency got Ugx530m.
In Kyotera, 136 associations with 1909 people received the funds while in Kakuuto, 101 associations with a total of 843 people got the funds.
Although that is the case, Kyotera district legislators detected various irregularities while auditing the SACCOs which received the funds.
“We need more funds to cater for those who were left out because the demand is high yet the funds are insufficient” he said.
John Paul Mpalanyi, the Kyotera County MP, also a professional auditor and consultant, told New Vision, the SACCOs were not duly registered according to the numerous irregularities recovered.
The irregularities, according to Mpalanyi, stem from the unexplained dismissal of Matia Kisekulo who was the District Commercial officer. As a technical person, he was meant to scrutinize and recommend the qualified SACCOs for full registration before they could receive the funds.
Mpalanyi said the SACCOs were recommended without due diligence yet different members of the associations which received the funds, have not benefited from the scheme.
Much as the scheme was to benefit all Ugandans regardless of their tribe, sex, education status and political ideologies, the whole scheme was politicised and did not benefit the majority.
“It was selective and benefited a few. It was used as a political tool used by one side to win the elections which was not the core reason why the scheme was introduced,” he said.
Fortunate Rose Nantongo, the Kyotera Woman MP, explained that most of the associations do not have a uniform venture which affects the actual essence of the Emyoga scheme.
She added that they are to question different LCI chairpersons to establish whether they took a step to know the people who are registered in the associations to benefit from the scheme.
According to Nantongo, several SACCOs and associations do not have operational officer which is one of the conditions for the Microfinance Support Center to consider them for the funds.
“How can they be monitored yet some are not even known to the village local leaders? We need to address this challenge for the good of the taxpayer’s money,” she said.
Geoffrey Lutaaya, the Kakuuto County MP, said that without rectifying the anomalies, the scheme may not benefit Ugandans as it was planned.
He said that after identifying the problems, it will be easy to address the challenge and to follow the money for the good of his constituents.
“Yes we found the problem, but now we know where to start from to rectify it. We want our people to benefit not because of their political party affiliations,” he said.
Agnes Namusiitwa, the District Secretary for Finance, and Kakuuto female councilor, says that wrong people formed associations and registered them to tap into the funds.
She said they found out a few people took the funds which drew special intervention of the local leaders who followed the matter and arrested the perpetrators.
She added that the several district leaders were left out of the taskforce committee due to political reasons hence hindering effective monitoring of the Saccos and associations.
According to Patrick Kintu Kisekulo, the Kyotera LC5 Chairman, several Saccos have eight people who were given 30 million which is far less than the acceptable number to qualify for the scheme.
He noted that the Chief Administrative Officer was left out of the scheme adding that it is the Resident District Commissioner to recommend the Saccos to get the money because there are no formal guidelines to harmonise the distribution of the funds.
“For sure how can a group of 8 people be considered as SACCO to receive 30 million shillings? Logically I do not understand it, but all this happen due to lack of funds to do supervision,” he said.
However, Mbajjo (DCO), said that people are benefiting from the scheme except for some challenges which are inevitable. “I am pleased to say that all the registered SACCOS or associations have benefited from the scheme. I understand there are some challenges but those who have benefited are many,” he said.
According to Teopista Mbabazi, the Deputy RDC for Kyotera, those who have benefited from the program have positive stories and more people especially those operating small-scale businesses.
“We need more funds to cater for a large number of groups because many were left out. We have tried to visit the beneficiaries to establish whether the money was used for its rightful purpose,” she said.
She added that the scheme was antagonized by the political pressure in Kyotera whereby the handlers of the funds were pulling ropes with their opponents forgetting that it was a government program.
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