“Ugandans can’t trust amateurs to lead the country“-Minister Kasolo tells Museveni opponents

The State Minister for Microfinance, Haruna Kasolo has laughed at President Museveni’s opponents saying Ugandans can’t put trust in them because they are amateurs.

Speaking to locals at Bushenyi municipality headquarters about the Emyooga presidential initiative on wealth and job creation, Kasolo said leading a country can be equated to midwifery that can’t be left in the hands of amateurs.

“There is one with tattoos all over his body and funny hairstyles who wants to lead the country. Ugandans can’t make a mistake to vote him as president. To vote a president is making a choice for either life or death. It is like giving birth,”Kasolo said.

“You have to make the right choice on the kind of midwife to help you give birth. You can’t choose and amateur over a senior.”

Without mentioning names, the Minister told locals that Ugandan needs a leader for a president and not a politician.

Differentiating between the two, Kasolo explained that whereas politicians want to excite people by telling them what they want to hear, leaders speak the reality.

“That is why in Uganda we have a few leaders. Most of them are politicians. They only convince you on what you want to hear even if it is impossible. On the other hand, the leader tells you the reality and what they can do. That is Museveni and tells you the truth,” Kasolo said.

Emyooga

The minister told locals that whereas there have been many initiatives to alleviate poverty, they have all not been successful, noting that President Museveni then decided to change the format on how to do it.

“Many people joined those initiatives targeting money but this time round, you are in the wrong place.  We will not release money until the sacco has shown that members can save. The main issue about the new initiative is for people to save their own money but get some seed capital from government,” Kasolo explained.

“The money is not for eating but borrow and develop yourselves. Government is no longer giving handouts to people.”

According to Kasolo, people should know what to do in order to become wealthy adding that saving is the only way out.

Abdul Bisaso, the technical person for the initiative told locals they are supposed to form associations at parish level in 18 clusters including Boda boda riders, taxi drivers, restaurants, welders, market vendors, women entrepreneurs, youth leaders, people with disabilities, journalists, performing artists, veterans, fishermen, and elected leaders.

“Each of these associations then elects five leaders including the chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurers and publicity who then elect the sacco management committee at the constituency. Association names will be members of the sacco at the constituency level and not individual members” Bisaso explained.

“The saving box system is what this idea is all about only that this time, it will be done through our various clusters. There will be validation to avid creation of ghost associations.”

According to Alfred Eboku Ejanu, the head of Credit and Operations at the Microfinance Support Centre, this time round, they decided to do it a constituency level but also consider the different clusters separately.

“People in the same cluster or doing the same job have similar challenges and problems and cannot be added onto people with whom they differ. The good thing with this initiative is that it will be easy for members from the same job to save since they almost know each other and they deal in the same business,” Eboku explained.

He said that members will be first mobilized and sensitized on what to do before being asked to form saccos for saving and later get the shs30 million seed capital per sacco.

What the leaders say

Adda Nasiima(Mitooma RDC):The initiative will save people from money lenders who lend them money  at high interest rates and end up taking people’s property used as security for the loans.

Jaffar Bassajjabalaba(Bushenyi district LC5 chairperson): This was long overdue. In our area, many people are in saccos but this idea of putting them in Emyooga(clusters) is a bright one and all leaders in the area will support it.