Museveni gives Nsambya carpenters sh270m

President Yoweri Museveni has boosted the economic profile of Nsambya Carpentry and Crafts SACCO with a donation of sh270million to improve their social economic welfare

The President who was accompanied by the state minister for youth affairs Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi on Friday at Nsambya, said on top of the sh100million cheque he had given to the group, he bought for them carpentry machines worth sh170million.

He explained that whereas his government has been since 1996 sending money through elected leaders to help the citizens start income generating activities, the impact is hardly visible on the ground.

Museveni said various programs like Entandikwa, Poverty Eradication Program, Bonna Bagaggawale, Microfinance, youth funds, and many others were initiated by government to get people out of poverty, but local elected leaders have not used the funds properly.

"When I go through your areas, I don't see what that money has done. Ask your elected leaders to give you accountability for the funds we have been giving them over the years. If they don't give you accountability, I will stop giving them the money and I bring to you directly as I have done today," he argued.

He blamed the NRM secretariat for failing to explain to people of Kampala about the various government programs.

He urged urban dwellers like the residents of Nsambya to form SACCOs which he related to the traditional silos (Ebyagi) as a mechanism for saving money and raising capital for expanding their businesses.

On the request by the Nsambya carpenters for the President to buy for them land to build a carpentry village so that they stop operating in a road reserve, Museveni promised it would be done within one year.

"I have directed government to make it a policy to build working centers for various artisan groups of people who make furniture, clothes, shoes and many other things," he elaborated.

The group leader Moses Muleke had asked the President to develop a policy requiring government agencies to buy furniture from them. On this, Museveni promised it would be done.

"It is a shame for our people to go to Dubai and China to buy furniture from there. We buy cars, planes, computers and even hair from outside; moreover hair of dead people. I fought the battle of the guns. Now this battle of fighting foreign products is yours," the President argued. 

Using an analogy of how a big animal can be overpowered by small animals that are united, the President emphasized that SACCOs and cooperatives would improve the economic welfare of Ugandans as they have done in many developed countries including America.

In the USA, 29,000 cooperatives operate in every sector of the economy. USA's cooperatives generate 2 million jobs and make a substantial contribution to the U.S. economy with annual sales of $652b and assets of $3 trillion.

In the neighbouring Kenya, reports indicate that 63% of Kenyans earn their livelihood from cooperative enterprises which account for 45% of the country's GDP of $55.2b. 

Muleke informed the President that in the area they are over 5000 who employed there and proposed that government makes an arrangement for them to go on study tours in countries like China to run more skills.

Before the president was called to address the gathering after Muleke had given his speech, Nakiwala pledged to support Muleke go study within a period of one week which greatly excited the congregation.

In a veiled message, Nakiwala appealed to the residents of Nsambya not to forget what the President had done for them.