Sheema receives over 58,000 govt hoes for household farming
Kansiime said the hoes would be distributed to households recorded during the 2024 census.
Sheema district residents poses for a group photo after being allocated 58,374 hand hoes to Sheema district to support agricultural production at the household level. (Courtesy)
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The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), has allocated 58,374 hand hoes to Sheema district to support agricultural production at the household level.
Each household will receive one hoe, with the distribution targeting households recorded during the 2024 National Population and Housing Census.
The hoes will be distributed across the district's six subcounties, five town councils and four divisions.
Speaking during the launch of the distribution exercise at the district headquarters on September 30, 2026, Sheema district production officer Robertson Kansiime said the hoes would be distributed to households recorded during the 2024 census.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Sheema had 58,374 households at the time of the 2024 census, corresponding to the number of hoes allocated to the district.
Kansiime said households established after the census would not benefit from the programme because they were not included on the official list.
“The households that were established after the population and housing census are not on the list and therefore will not benefit from the hoes. When distributing them, we shall look at those households that existed by the time of the 2024 National Population and Housing Census,” he said.
He said the district would transport the hoes to subcounty level, from where they would be distributed through parish and village leadership to the intended beneficiaries.
"There is a possibility that when they are transported to the parish level, it would be easier for the beneficiaries to pick them up without incurring much cost on transport,” he said.
15,534 households in subsistence economy
The distribution comes as thousands of households in Sheema depend on subsistence economic activities.
UBOS data from the 2024 census shows that 15,534 households in Sheema were engaged in the subsistence economy, out of the district's 58,374 households.
The census also shows that 6,048 households had benefited from the Parish Development Model (PDM) by the time of the census.
Leaders urge proper use
Sheema deputy chief administrative officer Rose Kebirungi said agriculture remains the backbone of the country's economy and urged district officials to ensure that the hoes reach the intended beneficiaries.
"Agriculture is the backbone of this country. We think we are fully supported through this programme, and we should ensure that the hoes reach the intended beneficiaries and are put to proper use,” Kebirungi said.
"I urge our local leaders to always popularise government programmes so that our people know what the government is doing and can benefit from these programmes,” Asiimwe said.
She also cautioned beneficiaries against selling the hoes, urging them to use them for farming.
Sheema LC5 chairperson Jemimah Buhanda cautioned politicians against politicising the distribution exercise, saying the programme should be implemented transparently.
Buhanda also urged district technocrats to take responsibility for overseeing the distribution to minimise conflicts of interest.
"Politicians should not politicise this programme. The district should take responsibility for the distribution of the hoes to ensure that the exercise is transparent and does not create a conflict of interest,” she said.
MPs credited for lobbying
The launch was also attended by Sheema district woman MP Adrine Katusiime Mwebesa and Sheema North MP Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, who were commended for lobbying for the district to benefit from the programme.
Katusiime said she and other MPs from Sheema lobbied the Ministry of Agriculture after learning about the government programme.
“The hoes are not mine, but when we heard that there was a programme of distributing hoes, we went to the ministry as MPs and lobbied for our district to be among those that would benefit,” Katusiime said.