In one of President Yoweri Museveni’s addresses on wealth creation, he singled out Kasilo fisheries savings group in Serere District as the best performing group in the country benefiting from the Presidential Initiative on Wealth and Job Creation (Emyooga) program.

Like other groups, Kasilo fisheries group with a membership of 325 people, received sh30m that the group utilised for improving their livelihoods.

The money has grown to over sh100m since the establishment of the program in 2021, and the fishermen have managed to solve their daily demands as well as invest for the future.

“Emyooga got us on the way to prosperity and indeed our status in our community is improving day by day,” remarked Robert Onguriatum the SACCOS’ chairman.

Their hard work has earned the group an additional sh20m that the President directed to be given to the best-performing groups in the country.

“We are able to educate our children, buy animals, buy improved boats and fishing nets that make us get a good catch,” Onguriatum said.

The Kasilo fisheries SACCO members display the fish they catch during their meeting with the minster. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

However, their challenge is the poor road network that hinders traders from accessing them at the landing sites of Kagwara and Mulondo.

“We get a lot of fish, but the market is hampered by poor roads. We appeal to the President to fulfil the pledge of tarmacking Ngora-Serere to Kagwara landing site and Kagwara to Soroti to facilitate easy travel for the businesspeople to reach us,” Onguriatum said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday, October 31, during the visit of microfinance state minister, Haruna Kasolo, who is on the monitoring tour of the Teso sub-region, assessing the performance of Emyooga.

The Serere LC5 chairman, Stephen Ochola, informed the minister that fishing activities are the main revenue stream for the district but poor transport has continued to be a challenge.

“Our performance would be 100% if that road was tarmacked. Since you sit in the cabinet, kindly inform my friend (President Museveni) to put pressure on parliament to allocate resources for the tarmacking of this road,” Ochola said.

The minister, who was happy with the district's performance, rated it the second best in Teso after Ngora District and promised to remind the relevant people in the government of the commitment to tarmac the road.

Arrests

The minister ordered the arrest of Charles Opio after he was accused of soliciting money from different SACCOS.

Opio was accused by the members of Owarakwap maize growers SACCOS in Iruko parish of asking for sh6000 from each member.

According to the members, Opio was allegedly asking for money claiming that it was Samson Emunot, the community development officer in Kadungulu Municipality who sent him.

Kasolo ordered for Opio’s arrest after he pledged guilty and even apologised to Emunot for using his name.

He is the second man to be arrested after the chairman of Okanyapuro group in Ogooma sub-county, Kumi District on allegations of making sexual demands to the wife of a SACCOS member.