Emyooga leaders decline to meet Nebbi RDC in fear of arrests over fraud
Some Sacco leaders attend a meeting with officials of the Nebbi RDC. Several of their counterparts stayed away from the meeting. PHOTO/PATRICK OKABA
What you need to know:
- Nebbi Municipality commercial officer Felix Wakwayo revealed that over Shs680million has so far been disbursed as seed capital to 18 Saccos since 2021 but, recovery of the money has remained a bigger challenge.
- The RDC’s office says it sought to meet the leaders as part of assessing the progress of Emyooga seed capital funds that beneficiaries received in 2021 from government.
Leadersof Emyooga Saving and Credit Cooperative Organisations (Saccos) have declined to meet the Nebbi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in fear of being arrested over alleed mismanagement of funds for the government program, authorities said.
The RDC’s office says it sought to meet the leaders as part of assessing the progress of Emyooga seed capital funds that beneficiaries received in 2021 from government.
Reports by the same office suggest that about 40 percent of Emyooga Sacco leaders are on the run after “mismanaging the funds meant to be distributed among the members.”
For instance, the Nebbi Restaurant Owners’ Sacco acting chairperson Emmanuel Owormungu told Monitor that the establishment of 75 members had savings exceeding Shs18million, in addition to obtaining seed capital of Shs30million but it had nothing on its account.
“Some members have fled to DR Congo and others stopped saving because all members in the Sacco are defaulters who don’t want to be seen in town for fear of being arrested,” Owormungu added.
Brian Ogenmungu, the chairperson of Nebbi District Performing Artists accused the group’s former chairperson of conniving with the secretary to forge the signature of the treasure, followed by withdrawing an unspecified and yet to be recovered amount of money from their account.
“The executive members of scattered after draining all the money and I suspect they feared being brought to book to pay the Sacco money,” Ogenmungu said.
But Nebbi’s Deputy RDC Stephen Olama Clay insists that the July meeting was not meant to arrest Emyooga defaulters but instead to address some of the challenges faced in implementation.
“We are aware that Emyooga is doing badly. Many beneficiaries misunderstood the Emyooga concept, mistaking it as political free money yet it’s a presidential initiative to get people out of poverty,” he observed.
Nebbi Municipality commercial officer Felix Wakwayo revealed that over Shs680million has so far been disbursed as seed capital to 18 Saccos since 2021 but, recovery of the money has remained a bigger challenge.
“There’s another Shs20million which is supposed to be added to each Sacco to top up the first seed capital of shs30m but the Saccos are not applying for the money, only 6 cooperatives have so far been added the Shs20million,” he explained.
“There’s challenge in the management of Saccos because some don't have records of the loan disbursements, recoveries and active members,” Wakwayo.
