Emyooga: Being rich  is no longer a choice for Ugandans, says Minister Kasolo

The State Minister for Microfinance, Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo has said unlike the past, Ugandans no longer have a choice but to become rich , courtesy of Emyooga program.

Speaking during the monitoring of Emyooga program in Hoima district on Wednesday, Kasolo said in the past, government has introduced several poverty alleviation programs but they have not been successful because the public has not embraced them fully.

“You remember Entandikwa?It was medicine for getting out poverty but the  problem was that we failed to take the medicine in time. This can be equated to a patient who is prescribed with medicine and asked to take it but refuses. The disease becomes persistent,”Kasolo said.

He noted that because the disease of poverty became persistent, President Museveni  introduced another program, NAADS to deal with the disease of poverty but nothing worked as the people abused the same.

According to Kasolo, after failure of NAADS, the Youth Livelihood Fund and Women  Fund were introduced but they to failed until government introduced Emyooga.

“The people abused the medicine given to them to cure the disease and it is the reason they remained poor. After moving around, President Museveni introduced Emyoga as the final solution to the problem of poverty.”

Kasolo noted that previously, the beneficiaries were lumped together but noted this has changed with Emyooga where people are categorized according to their enterprises.

“We have been making a fundamental mistake of  bringing together taxi drivers and restaurant owners yet their  problems are not the same. Now we have 18 categories and asked members in these categories to join. The wise joined yet others declined thinking it was business as usual I want to assure you, Emyooga is going to work. Like it or not, it must be successful.”

“With Emyooga, no Uganda has a choice to remain poor. You must get rich by force I am not joking. I mean it. Thats why I asked the president that even if I find that it is an NRM mobiliser who swindled the money, no one should call me to order for his release.”

Kasolo however insisted that Emyooga rotates around the principle of members coming together to form a sacco and save daily.

The minister insisted that Emyooga is not about receiving seed capital from government but rather saving and borrowing from the sacco.

“When you walk the journey, alone you will reach fast but as a group you will go far. The point is not doing it fast but going far.  If you want to save as much money as possible, do it with colleagues. You must save everyday if you eat every day, save every day and if you eat every month, save every month. In simple terms, save then eat.”