Yumbe leaders push for enhanced household incomes

YUMBE - As Ugandans celebrated the 63rd Independence Anniversary of the country, leaders in Yumbe District rallied residents to push for improved work ethics as a key strategy to fight household poverty and promote self-reliance. 

The leaders made the call during the Independence Day celebrations held at Yumbe District Boma Grounds in Yumbe Town on Thursday under the theme " 63 years of Independence: A reason to Double our efforts in sustaining a united and progressive Nation".

Huda Oleru Abason, the Minister of State for Defence in charge of Veteran Affairs and Member of Parliament for Aringa East Constituency, said government has made significant investments in infrastructure such as roads, schools, health facilities, and electricity.

However, she noted that these developments alone cannot transform lives unless individuals put in effort to improve their own livelihoods. 

“Government has done a lot in terms of infrastructure, but that alone cannot change your lives unless you embrace hard work,” Huda said. 

She encouraged the residents to embrace farming as a cheap way to improve family income.

"Yumbe has plenty of fertile land. We must start making good use of this asset. With the Parish Development Model program in place, residents should move from subsistence farming to commercial farming," she said.

Relatedly, the NRM Commissioner and former Woman MP for Yumbe District, Zaitun Driwaru, encouraged residents to actively participate in government programs designed to improve household incomes, noting that such initiatives can only succeed when the people fully own and support them. 

At the same event, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Hajji Sulaiman Lubwama Bukya, called for community assessment of independence by individuals managing their household needs without always depending on government or development partners. 

“We need to reflect on how independent we are as families. True independence means being able to solve our own challenges,” Bukya said. 

He said, with improved infrastructure, there is no need for people to wait for government to come to develop them, but to make use of the developments to uplift themselves.

When he took to the podium, District Chairperson Abdulmutalib Mahamoud Asiku, emphasised the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty. 

He appealed to parents to prioritise their children’s education and ensure they complete their studies to reduce future dependency. 

He revealed that Yumbe District has a primary school completion rate of 26% and less than 15% for secondary schools, figures he described as alarming. 

“We must invest in education if we want to fight poverty and dependency in our communities,” Asiku said.