Luweero revolving fund boosts govt wealth creation programs

WEALTH CREATION

In January 2019, government unveiled a new revolving fund whose objective is to boost household incomes in Luweero Triangle, an area where the National Resistance Army started a guerilla war that brought the NRM under President Yoweri Museveni to power.

The fund dubbed the Parish Community Associations (PCAs) model, will see each parish given sh30m  to boost already existing projects and revolves. The funds revolve within the parish on an annual basis. 

At the unveiling, sh8b was allocated to the scheme in its first phase intended to provide capital to associations within the parishes and to boost member incomes. The fund was structured to eliminate bureaucracies that have made funding inaccessible for grassroots communities in other schemes.

The revolving fund was piloted in selected sub-counties in eight districts, including Luweero, Nakaseke, Kyankwanzi, Kabarole, Kasese and Bunyangabu, before it's rolled out in all districts that lie within Luweero Triangle. 

Over the past years, several programmes have been implemented within the Luweero Triangle to boost the incomes of veterans and residents in areas affected by the Liberation struggle that ended in 1986. 

During the 2010/2011 financial year, the office of the Prime Minister through the Ministry of Luweero Triangle released funds to be issued to residents as soft loans. But the office of the Prime Minister suspended the program after many of the beneficiaries defaulted. The locals reportedly declined to return the money, calling it a reward from the president.

In 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries distributed hundreds of heads of cattle to farmers in Luweero under the livestock restocking exercise. The beneficiaries were expected to pass over calves to other farmers for the continuity of the program.

However, local leaders and residents in the selected parishes are hopeful that unlike all the above programmes, the Parish Community Associations (PCA) model will create the much desired impact.

Between 2014 and 2020, the government under the National Agricultrual Advisory Services and Operation Wealth Creation Programmes has distributed seedlings too boost household incomes under the programme of commercializing agriculture. In the three districts of Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola, 1,093,655 mango seedlings have been distributed, while 1,117,999 citrus seedlings have been distributed in the same area. Also 153,912 banana suckers, 50,000 passion fruits seedlings, 439,000 cocoa seedlings have been given out. Also under the same OWC programme, there is a deliberate government effort to promote coffee farming in greater Luweero. Under this, government has allocated 12,909,544 coffee seedlings to Nakaseseke, 2,363,750 to Nakasongola and 26,056,000 to Luwero district. 

Under the Youth Livelihood Programme where government has released over sh160b in all districts across the country, Luweero district with 205 YLP projects has received sh1.4b to benefit 2,375 youth (1,314 male and 1,061 female). In Nakaseke sh1.2b was released to 171 YLP projects with 2,143 youth (1,159 male and 984 female). In Nakasongola, 76 YLP projects have received sh739m for 921 youth (526 male and 395 female).