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Ntungamo district struggles to recover Shs1.9B youth, women funds
Women Under UWEP present their handcrafts in 2018. PHOTO BY PEREZ RUMANZI
What you need to know:
Mr Ambrose Tusiime, the Ntungamo Community Development Officer officer says none of the 378 groups that were given money through the programs have refunded it 100%
Ntungamo district authorities say they have failed to recover over Shs1.9 billion given to several youth and women groups in the district between 2014 and 2020 under the Youth Livelihood Program (YLP) and the Uganda Women entrepreneurship fund (UWEP).
Mr Ambrose Tusiime, the Ntungamo Community Development Officer officer says none of the 378 groups that were given money through the programs have refunded it 100%. He says the majority of the groups that received the money refunded less than 10% of the grant they received.
“151 enterprises received funding from YLP while 227 received the money from the UWEP, we have recovered less than 20% of the money given out since the programs started in 2014. We are however hopeful that we shall recover this since the programs have been revitalized.” Mr Tusiime said.
The enterprises under YLP received Shs1.265 billion over five years while enterprises under women received Shs 1.362 billion.
Only Shs298 million has been recovered under the youth with Shs967 million still unrecovered while only Shs362 million was recovered under the women's fund with Shs1 billion still unrecovered over 8 years.
The two programs had been suspended by the government with the introduction of the Parish Development Model. However, the Ministry of Gender has since revived the funds by merging them into a joint program.
However poor recovery of grant money remains a challenge to its implementation.
Ruhoko Twetungure women group in Nyakabungo Rugarama sub-county received Shs6.5 million in 2015, they have since refunded Shs 500,000, Rutunguru Youth poultry rearing group in Rutunguru Parish Ihunga sub-county received Shs12.5 million but they haven't refunded anything. Rureju Boda Boda group received Shs11.9 million in 2015 and has since refunded Shs2 million. These are just examples of many.
The Ntungamo Resident District Commissioner Mr Geoffrey Mucunguzi said politiciSing the programs and the untouchability of some beneficiaries had limited recovery.
“A lot of politics was associated with the program, some people thought this was a reward for supporting the government and implementers feared arresting them because they also could not understand the intention. Some other youths and women who got the money put themselves in positions where they are untouchable, some became councilors and others leaders. If we are to achieve a lot, we must put politics aside and make sure whoever got the money pays back, I tell you we shall recover every coin.” Mr Mucunguzi said.
The report on the performance of the program was presented during a roll-out meeting with key district stakeholders on Tuesday.
Ms Doreen Atuhaire, the program focal person said most groups had refunded nothing at all.
“Some of the beneficiaries are untraceable, those who were youths have since outgrown that category, some have become leaders, others have gone out of the country for work abroad, and some have died. We have groups that have refunded zero out of the money given to them,” Ms Atuhaire said.
The two grants were given to youth groups as a revolving fund. Each group that benefits refunds the money within a period of one to two years which money would be advanced to other groups at a 10% interest rate per year.
