By KT Reporter
The government has today officially relaunched the Emyooga programme in Buvuma District, signalling a fresh start for the poverty alleviation initiative after more than three years of suspension triggered by widespread mismanagement of funds.
Emyooga activities in the island district were halted in January 2022 following multiple cases of misappropriation involving some beneficiary groups.
The suspension was ordered by the State Minister for Microfinance, Haruna Kasolo, who directed that fresh sensitisation be undertaken to equip beneficiaries with the skills needed to properly manage and utilise the funds.
For more than three years, the programme remained dormant, leaving many groups inactive and disillusioned.
William Kirunda, the Manager for Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) at Kampala office who presided over the relaunch at Katamiro-Buvuma town council said the suspension had completely stalled Emyooga operations in Buvuma, prompting government intervention to recover the misused funds and reorganise the affected SACCOs.
Kirunda commended the district leadership and beneficiaries for cooperating with recovery efforts, noting that a significant amount of money had since been recovered.
“I want to thank the people of Buvuma for responding. A substantial amount of money has been recovered and is now lying in the SACCO accounts. We have appraised the groups and worked with them to provide additional seed capital, which is what we are launching today,” Kirunda said.
He confirmed that the programme has now been fully restored, with each Emyooga SACCO receiving an additional Shs20 million as seed capital to restart operations.
He added that the SACCOs have benefited from renewed support, including training, audits, certificate renewals and ongoing technical assistance. Kirunda cautioned beneficiaries against repeating past mistakes, where a few leaders benefited at the expense of ordinary members.
Janipher Nyakato, the Emyooga Coordinator for Greater Mukono, said the relaunch has renewed hope among beneficiary groups that had been paralysed by poor fund management and failure to recover loans.
She explained that out of the 16 Emyooga SACCOs in Buvuma, most have now received the additional Shs20 million to enable them restart income-generating activities.
“Members misused the funds, and loans were not recovered, which crippled the SACCOs,” Nyakato said, adding that the relaunch is intended to correct those weaknesses.
Buvuma Chief Administrative Officer, Isah Mbooge, welcomed the relaunch, describing Emyooga as a critical tool for transforming livelihoods in the district. He said the programme aligns with the government’s broader goal of increasing household incomes and lifting communities out of poverty.
“As a district, we are very grateful to the government. The aspiration of the National Development Plan is to transform our people from poor to middle-income status, and this can only be achieved by increasing household incomes,” Mbooge said.
He revealed that under the Parish Development Model (PDM), more than Shs11 billion has already been disbursed to 38 parish SACCOs in Buvuma. Under Emyooga, the district currently has 16 SACCOs, each now receiving Shs20 million to support enterprise development.
Mbooge warned beneficiaries against diverting the funds to personal consumption, stressing that proper utilisation would unlock more government support in the future.
“This money is not for personal spending. Use it for income-generating activities. When it grows, the government will be able to give you even more,” he cautioned.
Beneficiaries, many of whom had grown frustrated during the suspension, say the relaunch offers a second chance for inclusive growth and fair access to the funds.
With fresh capital, renewed oversight, and strengthened accountability measures, the relaunch of Emyooga in Buvuma is expected to revitalise local enterprise, rebuild public trust in the programme, and reinforce government efforts to fight poverty through structured and responsible microfinance interventions.
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