ENTEBBE – A wave of discontent is sweeping through Entebbe Municipality as over 500 residents, organized into various Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs), have declared they will not support the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in upcoming elections. The decision stems from the government’s failure to disburse promised Emyooga seed capital three years after the groups were formally registered.
According to investigations, more than 20 SACCOs in both Division A and B, representing professions including carpenters, taxi operators, journalists, boda-boda riders, welders, mechanics, and persons with disabilities, have been left in limbo. Despite fulfilling all necessary requirements set by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC), the government agency overseeing the program, none have received the startup funds.
The Emyooga program, a presidential initiative aimed at transforming Ugandans from subsistence to market-oriented production, promised each qualifying SACCO seed capital of Shs 30 million. SACCOs for local leaders were slated to receive Shs 50 million.
Kizito Isamel, a leader of the Welders SACCO, expressed the group’s profound disappointment. “We are not happy with the NRM government for making empty promises,” he stated. “We mobilized our people; they were saving money in various SACCOs hoping to be supported with seed capital through Emyooga. But to their disappointment, they have only received empty promises. That’s why we have vowed not to vote the NRM party.”
The situation has attracted attention from the highest levels of government. A recent audit team from State House, led by Mr. Tumine Milton Pedi, was dispatched to Entebbe to investigate the delay. “The president wants all Ugandans to be rich, that’s why the Emyooga program is there. We have to investigate this; why have these SACCOs not accessed the funds?” Pedi remarked.
This investigation is set against a conflicting backdrop: reports indicate that Entebbe Municipality has already received over Shs 1 billion for the SACCOs under the Emyooga scheme. The mystery of where these funds have gone, if not to the intended beneficiaries, remains unresolved.
Efforts to get an official explanation from the Microfinance Support Centre have so far been futile.
The growing frustration in Entebbe highlights a significant risk for the ruling party, as unfulfilled government promises increasingly become a central issue for voters ahead of the elections.
