If you are poor, you wont go to heaven- Minister Kasolo tells Ugandans

Ugandans who are poor will miss a chance to go to heaven, the State Minister for Microfinance, Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo has warned.

“Some of you think by only praying, you will go to heaven yet God created all of us in His image. If God created us in his image, why are others rich yet you are poor? God will punish you for embarrassing Him by being poor and you will not go to heaven. Those who think they will only go to heaven by being so prayerful should forget it,”Kasolo said during the launch of the Emyooga presidential initiative on job and wealth creation.

Kasolo explained that whereas most Ugandans are rich, it is their mindset that has stopped them from realizing the same, noting that the money most Ugandans spend on things they can forego can make them rich.

“Take an example of boda boda riders and taxi drivers that each can spend at least shs5000 a day in eating things other than food including popcorns, chapatis, roasted meat and beers among others. In case a constituency has 2000 boda boda riders and each saves shs2000 per day, it will be shs120 million in a month and shs1.44 billion for all of them in their sacco per year. That is the wealth they can accumulate and borrow to start other businesses and also inject in others to grow,”Kasolo said.

He however noted that most Ugandans have never realized that by coming together to save in saccos, they can easily realise their goal of creating wealth in a small period of time other than waiting for government.

The minister also took a swipe at Ugandans, especially youths whose only job, he said is waiting for handouts from government to help them get out of poverty, saying this will never happen.

“The handouts can’t make you wealthy. Your money that can be accumulated through saving as a group is more than handouts by government. It is the reason we introduced the Emyoga initiative not to give you money as most of you want but to inculcate the culture of saving in you so you can know your worth.”

Kasolo insisted that Ugandans ought to change their mindsets on wealth creation and avoid things that don’t add onto their incomes.

“Spend wisely by controlling your stomachs.  If I made an audit here, I could find many boda bodas and vehicles in your stomachs courtesy of spending unnecessarily. You must have financial discipline.”

According to Abdul Bisaso, the technical personnel for the initiative, through the Emyooga project to alleviate poverty, Ugandans 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 will be encouraged to form associations at parish level and these(associations) will be members to the respective constituency saccos.

“I ask Ugandans to join the initiative by forming the respective associations at parish level that will later form saccos. Let them not look at the shs30 million seed capital that government is going to inject in each of the 18 saccos but see the bigger picture of having financial discipline and a saving culture,”Bisaso said.