KAMPALA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni today met beneficiaries of the Emyooga SACCO programme in Butabika and Mutungo, Nakawa Division, highlighting the initiative’s transformative impact on livelihoods.
The visit showcased the progress of the government-backed scheme, designed to bolster household incomes through job creation and skills development. President Museveni, accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, expressed satisfaction with the growth of Emyooga SACCOs in the area, noting their increasing success.
Reaffirming his longstanding message, the President emphasised that prosperity stems from wealth creation in three key sectors: commercial agriculture, artisanship—including carpentry and welding—and service-based enterprises such as tailoring, salon work, catering, and boda boda transport.
“I’m happy to see you have accepted to start slow—even a baby starts by crawling,” President Museveni remarked, underscoring the value of patience and persistence in building sustainable businesses. He praised members for embracing self-empowerment and learning through practical experience. “Now you have started waking up. You can hear Tuhirirwe wants more space, but before she started, she didn’t see the need for more space,” he observed.
To further support business growth, the President contributed UGX 100 million to the Emyooga SACCOs and announced a government allocation of UGX 1 billion for ghetto groups in major urban centres, including Kampala, Jinja, and Mbale.
Mr. Kibuka Adam, Chairman of Zone 2 SACCO, reported positive strides under both the Emyooga and Parish Development Model (PDM) programmes, though land scarcity remains a challenge.
Ms. Tuhirirwe Winnie, Chairperson of the Mutungo-Mbuya 1 Tailoring SACCO, shared success stories of women and youth gaining skills in tailoring, fashion design, jewellery making, and machine operation. She noted that the SACCO had lifted members from exploitative money lenders through affordable internal loans.
“Our lives have changed. People now have skills and can earn a living. However, we face challenges of inadequate space for training and production,” Ms. Tuhirirwe said, appealing for additional funds to expand loan access and establish a tailoring factory for mass production and export.
In response, President Museveni pledged ongoing government support, urging members to scale up operations while adhering to principles of hard work, organisation, and discipline.
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