Women under the Mityana Women Maize Farmers Co-operative in Mityana District have appealed to President Museveni to enact laws that safeguard their income from misuse by men within their households.
The appeal was made during a cooperative event held in Ssekanyonyi, where members raised concerns about persistent financial interference that they say undermines their economic independence and progress.
The women reported that despite actively engaging in income-generating activities, some men take control of or misuse their earnings, affecting both household stability and the growth of their cooperative initiatives.
“We ask the President to put in place laws to protect women’s money from being misused by men at home,” the women said collectively during the meeting.
The cooperative brings together women from areas including Ssekanyonyi and Namungo. Members are involved in maize farming, poultry keeping, production of organic fertilizers, and running savings and loan schemes aimed at improving household incomes.
According to the group, the initiative has significantly enhanced the livelihoods of many members, enabling them to support their families and invest in small-scale enterprises.
“Since we started this cooperative, many women have improved their household incomes and livelihoods,” one member noted.
However, the women highlighted several challenges affecting their operations, including limited access to reliable markets for maize, loan defaults among some members, and inadequate capital to expand their activities.
Jennifer Nakisenyi emphasized that financial mismanagement at the household level remains a critical barrier to the cooperative’s growth.
“Many men interfere with women’s finances, which affects the growth of our savings groups,” she said.
The cooperative has received support from Finn Church Aid, which has been providing training in financial literacy and management to strengthen members’ capacity.
A representative of the organization, Samuel Kibanga, encouraged the women to remain resilient and continue working collectively to achieve their goals.
“Do not lose hope in what you are doing. Keep working together and building your capacity,” he advised.
The women also called on the government to scale up financial support programs targeting grassroots cooperatives, saying increased funding would enable them to expand their ventures and improve productivity.
“We request more financial support to strengthen our cooperative and expand our activities,” the group added.
The group also held election of new leaders who will steer the cooperative forward as it seeks to overcome its challenges and strengthen women’s economic empowerment in the district.