By Spy Uganda
Lands Minister and Mityana District Woman MP Judith Nabakooba has ordered newly sworn-in village chairpersons to track beneficiaries of government livelihood programmes and recover outstanding revolving loans, warning that poor repayment is preventing other residents from accessing the funds.
Nabakooba said programmes such as the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Emyooga, Parish Development Model (PDM) and GROW were designed to support communities through funds that could be recovered and extended to other beneficiaries.
Speaking during an induction meeting in Mityana on September 19, she tasked the new local leaders with obtaining beneficiary lists, tracing recipients and establishing whether the businesses that received government support are still operating.
She said the recovery of the money was important to ensure that the same funds continue benefiting more people within the communities.
Nabakooba cited Emyooga, saying groups initially received Shs30 million at constituency level, with additional Shs20 million available annually to groups that performed well. However, she said only a small number of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (Saccos) in Mityana qualified for additional funding because of poor recovery of earlier disbursements.
The minister urged village leaders to take an active role in tracking beneficiaries and ensuring that recovered funds return to the revolving schemes.
Beyond livelihood programmes, Nabakooba warned the new leaders against independently handling land disputes and transactions, saying uncoordinated decisions by different government offices had created confusion and exposed officials to possible legal liability.
She directed that land-related complaints be channelled through the district security committee before being handled at lower levels. She also cautioned leaders against allowing people to enter or measure disputed land before ownership has been established and urged them to stay out of cases already before courts.
On busuulu, Nabakooba instructed village leaders to verify land ownership before confirming payment by lawful kibanja holders. She said letters confirming ownership should be forwarded to area land committees for verification on the ground.
The minister’s tour also exposed wider service delivery challenges in the district. Mityana officials reported staffing shortages in newly created town councils, with Bbanda, Ssekanyonyi and Zigoti town councils yet to receive wage allocations to recruit staff despite being established in 2017.
At Malangala Health Centre III, local leaders raised concerns over inadequate staff accommodation and sanitation facilities, saying health workers were sharing limited facilities with patients.
Nabakooba asked district authorities to formally submit the concerns to the responsible ministries and said she would raise them at Cabinet level.
As preparations for the next financial year’s budget begin, she also asked village leaders to identify urgent community needs, including electricity, piped water, roads, health facilities and staffing, and submit them through town councils and the district for consideration.
Mityana District Chairperson Joseph Luzige pledged to work with the new leaders to improve service delivery and provide legal assistance to residents.
Nabakooba urged the newly elected village leaders to work together and serve residents without discrimination based on political affiliation.
