Kasese Emyooga SACCO ventures in maize value addition projects

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Kasese Municipality Restaurant Owners Emyooga SACCO one of the most successful out of the 20 emyooga SACCOs within the entire municipality has embarked on venturing in an extra project of producing quality maize flour due to effective use of the funds from government a matter that has accumulated their profits.

The SACCO with 600 members started with hotel services as their initial enterprise, got a seed capital of sh30m from Kasese municipality authorities, injected the money in their hotel businesses and did self-supervision ending up growing their capital from sh50m to sh130m.

During the August 14, 2024 interview at their maize flour project located within central division of Kasese municipality, Zulufah Watya one of the members attributed the milestone to routine saving and self evaluation.

“We thank President Museveni for this excellent program because we are earning alot." Zulufah said.

“Apparently we supply the entire Kasese town and only hindered by the lack of means to transport our products to other places." She added. 

Grace Asaba the Chairperson Kasese hotel owners Sacco revealed that many of them who own hotels and restaurants buy maize flour from buy from their own project. 

“We are the immediate consumers and sell the surplus to other people." Grace said.

“And by the end of the week or two we earn profits of over 450,000 after meeting all the expenses.” She added.

She however said that they face challenges including meeting high costs to pay off the machine owner whom they hire to mil the maize into flour but also face other expenses like electricity and branding of packing sacks which all need much funding.

“If we had our own machine, we would be benefiting much.” Asaba said.

Godfrey Bwambale the commercial officer Kasese Municipality applauded the Sacco for living to the expectation of the initiative by effectively using the funds to the level of growing their capital to over sh130m.

“Out of the 20 Emyoga Saccos, they are role models to the rest.” Godfrey said.

He however listed a number of emyooga SACCOs categories that are not performing well including the youths, performing artists, fishermen and boda boda riders adding that they have waged a number of sensitization programs to have them get to the track of effective usage of the funds.

RDC speaks out

Joe Walusimbi the RDC Kasese district appealed to some beneficiaries across the entire country that have not yet responded to the recovery of the funds to quickly consent with the set emyooga guidelines should they want to benefit on the forthcoming government programs.

“First priorities always go to those who have performed very well in previous programs.” Walusimbi said.

The Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job creation (Emyooga) was launched in August 2019 as part of the broad government strategy targeting to transform 68% of homesteads from subsistence to market-oriented production with the overall objective of promoting job creation and improving household incomes. 

However, most Ugandans miss used the funds in the name of an appreciation for voting the ruling government hence maintaining themselves in bounds of poverty as the few who used the funds wisely are enjoying various outcomes.