Gov’t is committed to end Poverty Amongst Ugandans, RDC Angalia

BY Thomas Tumwebaze

KIBAALE

The Kibaale Resident District Commissioner Godwin Angalia Kasigwa has assured Ugandans on how the government has set up strategies to end poverty through its different poverty eradication programs.

Godwin Kasigwa said the government has set up several programs like the Youth Livelihood Program for the Youth, the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program for the Women, Emyooga and the recent being the Parish Development Model meant to benefit every Ugandan at Parish and Village level.

Kasigwa was addressing members of Busesa SACCO at Buseesa Community Development Organization (BCDO) headquarters in Busesa village, Matale Sub County, Kibaale District.

“The government of Uganda is committed to fight poverty that’s why we are investing a lot of money to people through all these programs like Youth Livelihood Program, UWEP, Emyooga and now the Parish Development Model,” Angalia said

He said however the success of these SACCOs has been hampered by ghost SACCOs that have also benefited from government money.

“Sometimes there are ghost beneficiaries and that’s why the government is looking at funding groups of people whose details are collected and fed to the national systems,” Angalia added.

Angalia said the government has already set up measures to work with private institutions to ensure that services reach every Ugandan.

He tasked residents to embrace Savings and Cooperative Societies to enhance their incomes and also end the poverty that has crippled development of the country.

Dr. Emely Kugonza JP, the Buyanja East county Member of Parliament said SACCOs form a basic foundation of development for communities in line with improving household incomes and applauded Buseesa SACCO members for uniting themselves under the SACCO.

Kugonza said SACCOs have faced several challenges that have hindered their progress and thus limiting their chances of being funded by the government.

He tasked members of Buseesa SACCO to mitigate the causes of conflicts in the SACCO in order for them to prosper.

Kugonza further said as Members of Parliament their role is to undertake oversight to all government programs that use resources from the consolidated fund and thus require them to be on the ground for better progress and implementation of these programs.

Dr. Richard Lubega, the Executive Director Busesa Community Development Organization and the Chairman of Buseesa SACCO that also works as a demo organization for farmers in Kibaale district said people’s mindset has not been changed to fit the modern technologies and development agendas.

Lubega said much needs to be done to change people’s mindset towards development through uniting under SACCOs.

“Our people in groups are used to the old tradition of sharing all the money saved for the whole year at once and they don’t want to save and borrow. Others don’t want to give their collateral and securities once they want to take up loans from SACCOs and this has made several SACCOs collapse during infant stages,” Lubega said

However, residents who have been actively involved in forming SACCOs say they have benefited by educating their children but they have not been able to secure jobs.

They tasked members of Parliament to devise means on how to create more employment opportunities for their children.

“I have used the opportunities from the SACCO to educate my children and I have graduates but they have no Jobs. I’m requesting you to task government to create more jobs for our children,” said Jesca Mbabazi member of Buseesa SACCO

Mbabazi however said the SACCO has benefited her in different several ways and implored other community members to join and take part in changing their lives and incomes.

Buseesa SACCO members also fronted Dr. Emely Kugonza the Buyanja East Member of Parliament to contest unopposed in the Buyanja East County 2026 general polls.

The government is currently implementing the Parish Development Model at Parish level and this program is meant to deepen the decentralization process; improve household incomes; enable inclusive, sustainable, balanced and equitable socio-economic transformation; and increase accountability at local levels.

The Model positions the Parish as the epicenter of multi-sectoral community development, planning, implementation, supervision and accountability.

Parish as the lowest reference unit for planning, budgeting and delivery of interventions to drive socio-economic transformation

The PDM will create Wealth, Employment and increase Household Incomes.

For more information about Buseesa Community Development Organization and SACCO, visit their website at www.busesacdo.org

Ends