Mayiga slams cash handouts

Mayiga (Left) shakes hands with prominent businessman Henry Mulinde (Right). Photo by Moses Muwulya

LWENGO. Buganda Kingdom Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga has criticised government’s programme of giving cash handouts to the youth and women groups, saying such a move cannot eradicate poverty.
Mr Mayiga was speaking during his Etoffali drive in Mawogola County, Sembabule District last week.
He urged government to invest heavily in agriculture and equip citizens, especially the youth, with entrepreneurship skills.
“ You don’t need cash to fight poverty but you need skills to start your own business,” he said.
Mr Mayiga advised Baganda to emulate their counterparts in Ankole by rearing livestock on a large scale.

“ Our soils have lost fertility due to poor farming methods and we need cow dung (manure) to register good yields ,” he said.
Mr Mayiga visited prominent businessmen and model farmers in the area, including Mr Henry Mulinde, a businessman in Masaka Town and a coffee farmer in Lwengo District, who contributed Shs2m towards the Etoffali drive .
A total of Shs85m million was collected during the Katikkiro’s three-day tour of the greater Masaka.
Mr Mayiga is visiting the area for the fourth time in one-and-half years to fundraise for the kingdom projects. More than Shs250m was collected during the previous three visits.