Workers demand inclusion in govt wealth creation programmes

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Workers are demanding inclusion in government programmes aimed at socio-economic transformation.

Workers’ Member of Parliament Arinaitwe Rwakajara, who also doubles as chairperson of the NRM Workers League, made the call on December 16, 2025, on the sidelines of a worker's retreat at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi district.

The retreat, which started on Sunday, has brought together over 300 delegates drawn from 57 trade unions across all sectors of the economy.

The meeting aims to generate resolutions that will feed into a workers’ manifesto to be presented to the country’s leadership.

Top among their demands, according to Rwakajara, is for workers to secure a meaningful stake in government programmes and decision-making.

“There are funds for youth, women, people with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly, but there is no fund for workers. If we are among the interest groups, therefore, the Government also should think about funds to support, protect and transform the workers of this country, apart from the salary they earn,” he argued.

“Take an example, all other initiatives or funds like Parish Development Model (PDM), Bona bagagawale, you will not find them addressing the issues of the workers,” he added.

Arguing that these funds would support both unionised and non-unionised workers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet.

Most importantly, Richard Moses Mauku, the treasurer general of the National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) and secretary general of the Uganda Hotels, Food, Tourism, Supermarkets and Allied Workers Union, contends that workers contribute significantly to the economy and should not be sidelined.

“For quite some time, we have been feeling that we have been marginalised or just left out of Government programmes and yet we are one of the largest contributors to this economy. If we are contributing 18 per cent of the tax income collection, that constitutes about shillings five trillion. That is money generated from Pay As You Earn (PAYE), which we contribute as workers,” Mauku said.  

PDM disbursements

As of June 30, this year, the seven-pillar Parish Development Model (PDM), which is poised at lifting 39 per cent of Ugandans out of the subsistence economy, had so far disbursed shillings 3.3 trillion to 10,589 parishes across the country.

According to the criteria, women and youth each are allocated 30 per cent, persons with disabilities (PWDs) 10 per cent, men 10 per cent, while 20 per cent is reserved for beneficiaries who do not fall under special interest groups.

In the 2023/2024 and FY 2024/2025 Financial Years (FY) alone, Parliament appropriated shillings 1.097 trillion for the PDM programme, of which 1.059 trillion was allocated to the Parish Revolving Fund (PRF) to finance 10,594 PDM SACCOs across 176 local governments and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

Speaking during the Budget Speech at Kololo on June 12, 2025, finance minister Matia Kasaija said the Government had provided an additional sh1.059 trillion in the FY 2025/26 budget to further capitalise PDM.

“This will provide an additional sh100 million per parish for households that have not yet benefited from PDM. The Government has also provided money to pay for the bank charges to ensure that beneficiaries receive the full amount of one million each. Government is also providing a grant of 500,000 for persons with disabilities over and above the loan of Sh1 million to cater for their additional access requirements,” Kasaija stated.

Minister makes plea

Coincidentally, while officiating on December 14, at an interaction between salonists and President Yoweri Museveni, youth and children affairs state minister Balaam Barugahara made a similar call to the Government. Saying Jua kali (artisans), among others, needed to be included in wealth creation programmes to stimulate job creation and fight poverty.

“So far, Jua kali has benefitted 855 groups. However, the budget of Jua Kali, that Tayebwa [deputy Speaker of Parliament] has been giving is shillings three billion. Then we have over 30,000 members from those 855 groups. I believe, as the chairperson of salon operators has mentioned, this 92 per cent people working in the informal sector, welders, salon operators, market vendors, all people that need equipment to work, your Excellency, we should support them,” said Barugahara.

Budgetary allocations

Figures from the Budget committee’s report on the annual budget estimates indicate that during the ongoing 2025/6 FY, the Government allocated shillings 1.075 trillion to PDM SACCOS, 100 billion to Emyooga, of which 20 billion was for teachers’ SACCOS.

This was on top of the 80 billion Emyooga programme funds, which had been disbursed in the first half of the 2024/25 FY, of which Sh20 billion was used to capitalise the teachers’ SACCO.

During the ongoing fiscal year, shillings 76.67 trillion of which sh30 billion is for onward lending, sh10 billion for special interest groups was allocated to the Microfinance Support Centre.

Lastly, sh23.66 billion was allocated to Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), sh3 billion to Jua Kali and five billion to older persons as enterprise funds.