Govt set to recall unspent Emyooga funds from Teso

The government through the Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives is set to recall unspent Emyooga funds in Teso Sub-region.

Mr Martin Akorikin, the Emyooga regional coordinator, said on Friday that there are Emyooga funds on several bank accounts, which have not been utilised.

He said the targeted beneficiaries have deliberately refused to utilise the money.
Emyooga is a presidential initiative on wealth and job creation that was rolled out in 2019. The programme was rolled out as a grant to 18 Saccos in every constituency in the categories of the mechanics, carpenters, tailors, restaurant operators, boda boda riders, saloon operators, musicians, youth leaders and journalists, among others.

A total of Shs30m was given to each Sacco as seed capital. Each constituency received Shs560m through the Micro Finance Support Centre.

However, Mr Akorikin alleged that some people have rejected the money over political reasons.
“There is one mechanics Sacco in Soroti City East that has deliberately refused to take the money; they are saying that is Museveni’s NRM money, they don’t need it,” he said.

He said the money for these mechanics has been lying idle on the bank account for a year.
 Mr Victor Ojede, the zonal manager for the Micro Finance Support Centre in Soroti, said the money will be returned to the government account.

The Soroti Resident City Commissioner (RCC), Mr Peter Pex Paak, said their attempts to mobilise the mechanics to utilise the money have been futile.

He said they will not force them to utilise it but instead request that the money be handed to best performing groups.

What beneficiaries say
But some mechanics, when contacted, accused the city Emyooga taskforce and their Sacco leadership of hiding information from them about the existence of the funds.

“That is just propaganda, they just don’t want us to benefit from that money,” Mr Abdu Sirige said.

The chairperson of the Mechanics Association in Juakali, Mr Issa Kiiza, said the government is relying on wrong information that was hatched by their enemies with intent to tarnish their reputation.

“Those are people who don’t wish Juakali well, they want to cause rifts between us and the government and yet we are friendly and welcoming people,” Mr Kiiza said.

He challenged the government through the RCC and his taskforce to seek information from the right people.

But Mr George William Tukei, the city commercial officer, said those dismissing government information are not the true registered beneficiaries of Emyooga.

“Those who are saying it’s propaganda do not belong to Emyooga Saccos,” Mr Tukei said.

Looking back
Last year, then Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among suspended the House sittings for seven days to allow legislators to investigate the implementation of Emyooga funds. This was after a parliamentary taskforce unearthed discrepancies in the expenditure of the funds. MPs were shocked to learn that some Saccos that received the funds were not registered.