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MPs query report on improved household income in Lango
Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (Nusaf) director, Dr Robert Lilim. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Mr Moses Okot Junior, the MP-elect for Kyoga Constituency in Amolatar District, said a fish project under Nusaf 3 where the government invested more than Shs10 million was sold at only Shs2 million.
Several elected Members of Parliament from the Lango Sub-region have rejected a report indicating that thousands of people in northern Uganda are living above the poverty line.
The legislators were reacting to a report by the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (Nusaf) director, Dr Robert Lilim, on the implementation of Nusaf 3 which indicated that poverty levels had drastically reduced in the region.
According to the report, household income in Lango increased by 59.6 per cent, from Shs94,631 in 2017 to Shs151,066 by December 2020.
He said the government intervention had resulted in improved household consumption and increased expenditure on school fees, medical and other services, signifying improvement in the livelihood.
However, officials from the Office of the Prime Minister, the newly elected MPs, and LC5 chairpersons from Lango, who met on Friday to discuss the progress of Nusaf 3 did not agree with findings.
Mr Jonathan Odur, the Member of Parliament for Erute South in Lira District, said: “I think this kind of report must be rejected. We want to know; whose life has changed? This report is too general and it does not tell us what exactly has changed.”
Mr Moses Okot Junior, the MP-elect for Kyoga Constituency in Amolatar District, said a fish project under Nusaf 3 where the government invested more than Shs10 million was sold at only Shs2 million.
“Let us be realistic and give an actual report on what exactly is on ground,” he said.
Mr Christine Akello, the Erute North MP-elect, said Nusaf 3 is instead creating poverty since it does not give the beneficiaries solutions to increase their household income.
“I happen to be a beneficiary of Nusaf1 but I had no idea of Nusaf 2 and 3. Recently, I wanted to know how my constituency is doing and I did a mini-survey to see who is helping them but I hardly heard of Nusaf 3. All I was hearing about was non-governmental organisations,” she said.
However, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah urged the people of Lango to rely on government and non-governmental projects to develop the region.
“Now the people of Lango have elected you MPs and LC5 chairpersons to represent them. Let us wake up and reorganise ourselves,” he said.
The Minister for Northern Uganda, Ms Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, also said the government is considering revising the operation of Nusaf to cause more changes in the community.
MORE ABOUT REPORT
Dr Lilim said: “Households having one meal a day reduced from 43.5 per cent to 15 per cent. Two meals a day increased to 97 per cent compared to 55 per cent and three meals a day also grew to 45 per cent compared to three per cent at baseline [survey].”
He further said different beneficiary groups being supported by Nusaf 3 had by January 2021 accumulated more than Shs41 billion in savings.
“The project introduced mandatory savings from earnings of the participating communities as local alternative access to investment capital for reinvestment and diversification of their livelihoods,” he said.
