RDC vows to arrest youth loan defaulters

John Unzima

Adjumani - Youth groups in Adjumani district are cursing the Youth livelihood Programme following their failure to remit funds to the district fund recovery account.

The youth cried foul during the district Programme review meeting at Adjumani town council board room over the weekend.

Adjumani resident district commissioner Agnes Ebong, while speaking at the meeting, vowed to follow and arrest executive members of groups that have failed to recover funds from the revolving fund.

Ebong said from the beginning the youths must have been told that the money was not a freebie and therefore should have identified viable projects.

"The problem is that the people of Adjumani are used to freebies, that is bad attitude," Ebong told the Youth

The groups, during the meeting, expressed that the Programme was highly politicized during the period of campaigns saying some politicians told them that fund is not loan.

Akuti Christopher, a beneficiary, cursed receiving the funds saying the youth have found themselves in a trap after being misled by politicians.

"Am asking the district community development officer to give as more time at least one month to start of recovery period" Akuti pleaded.

A beneficiary from Dzaipi Sub-County, Patrick Amoko, also shared the same sentiments and decried insufficient meetings and training to sensitize the youths about the programme.

"During the campaigns some politicians said that this money is from the President which is taxpayers money therefore cannot be repaid" Amoko told the meeting

 Adjumani District community development Officer Ramadan Mawadri said the money was disbursed more than six month ago implying that the groups had enough time to start repaying.

"The ministry standing order is clear regardless of the projects you chose, you must start recovering" Mawadri said

Mawadri echoed the same comments of the resident district commissioner saying they will have no option but arrest the executive members of the groups upon their failure to remit.

Mawadri said the district is the only one in West Nile Sub-region that has failed to remit a single coin in the district recovery account.

During the meeting the Sub-County technocrats have cited logistical constraints and laziness among the youth as the main challenge to the programme.

Some executive members of the youth groups in the district have already fled the district for the fear of the imminent arrest by the authorities.

Adjumani district has 54 beneficiary projects from the programme some project have since collapsed or changed project business.