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Women groups reject proposal on new parish model project
Finance Minister in the now dissolved cabinet Matia Kasaija addresses Parliament before the Covid-19 outbreak. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- The Minister of a Finance, Mr Matia Kasaija, last week informed Parliament that the government plans to merge the existing seven wealth creation programmes.
Women movements across the country have rejected the government plan of merging the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) with other wealth creation programmes to form the new parish model project.
The Minister of a Finance, Mr Matia Kasaija, last week informed Parliament that the government plans to merge the existing seven wealth creation programmes, among them UWEP, to finance the new project that is meant to eradicate poverty. The projects target 39 per cent of the households across the country.
Addressing journalists yesterday in a joint press conference in Kampala, the executive director of Uganda Association of Women Lawyers, Ms Lilian Byarugaba, said if the fund is merged, many women will miss out on accessing the funds.
“Merging UWEP with other programmes as proposed by the government will undo the achievement that have been made. It will also tarnish Uganda’s efforts to realise the sustainable development goals on gender equality, poverty, decent work and economic growth and reduced inequality,” Ms Byarugaba said.
Ms Patria Munabi, the executive director of Forum for Women in Democracy, said they are dismayed by the proposal.
“Uganda is known to have registered significant strides in strengthening and institutionalising gender equality. Uganda’s policy framework for development recognises the economic empowerment of women as critical priority. So all this will go to waste,” Ms Munabi said.
It is against that background that the women movements want the fund to be maintained as an independent initiative under the Gender ministry.
Mr Kasaija said Shs404.3 billion has been budgeted for capitalisation of the Parish Revolving Funds in 2021/2022. This translates to an average allocation of Shs38.16m per parish.
