Kabale Residents Flout COVID-19 Regulations As They Struggle for Emyooga Cash

Over 300 members registered for Emyooga, a Presidential Initiative on
Wealth and Job Creation in Kabale Municipality shocked observers when they flouted the COVID-19 preventive guidelines while updating the registration of their groups.

The program that was rolled out by President Museveni early this year seeks to finance small groups involved in small-medium enterprises of the economy. The targeted groups include bodaboda cyclists, women enterprises, carpenters, tailors, mechanics, blacksmithing, carpentry, mechanics, pottery, performing artists and fishermen among other groups.

The total budget for the programe is Shs 260Bn and the finance ministry has already released Shs 150Bn through the Micro Finance Support Centre. Each constituency will receive 620 million shillings for 19 groups and the disbursement of funds starts next week, with Kampala and Wakiso districts.

However, at the Kigezi Private Sector Promotion Centre Limited in Kabale Municipality where the exercise was conducted, several members of Emyooga were seen wearing their masks below the chins, others were seen without masks, they were not observing social distancing, there were no hand washing facilities at the gate and no one was checking the temperatures of the members.

Addressing the members, the Kabale District National Resistance Party
Youth League Chairperson who is also the Kabale Municipality NRM flag bearer in the forthcoming general elections, Sheikh Kassim Kamugisha appealed to Emyooga beneficiaries to respect COVID-19 guidelines as they wait for the funds.

The Kabale District Commercial Officer, Erasmus Natumanya who is in
charge of Emyooga in the district declined to comment on why the members were not observing COVID-19 guidelines.