It was a journey worth every mile for Emyooga Sacco leaders from Northern Uganda specifically the Acholi, Teso, and Lango sub-regions who visited successful Saccos in Mbarara, Western Uganda.
The exchange visit offered invaluable lessons on transparency, patience, and visionary leadership in Sacco management.
Their learning experience began in Bwizibwera, Rwanyamahembe Town Council in Mbarara City, where the group visited Rwanyamahembe Sacco Ltd, a mainstream financial cooperative known for its success and sustainability.
The professionalism and efficiency they witnessed left many of the visiting leaders nodding in admiration.
At Rwanyamahembe Sacco Ltd, the leaders received mentorship on transforming their own Saccos into larger, more sustainable institutions.
The focus was on strengthening governance, building trust, and managing resources responsibly.
During the session, Delibert Ayebare, the Credit Manager at Rwanyamahembe Sacco, emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability.
“All that you see started with transparent management,” he shared. “In our Sacco, when a board member takes a loan, they ensure it is repaid to serve as a model for other members.”
He urged the visiting Sacco leaders to act as stewards of their members' funds:
“The role of governance is about stewardship, and stewardship is taking responsible care of other people's resources.”
Ayebare further advised emerging Emyooga Saccos and other groups receiving support from the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) to prioritize transparency.
“Leaders must ensure that every coin and resource received from MSC is put to proper and intended use. Transparency is key to building credibility and achieving long-term success.”
He also highlighted the need for professional staff recruitment and oversight.
“You must employ people with 'clean hands' those who are capable and skilled. But beyond hiring, there must be continuous monitoring to make sure the staff are delivering and the Sacco is getting full value from its investment,” he said calling for greater accountability.
“Deliver beyond what members expect of you. Remember, they elected you to serve in a stewardship role. You must remain at the center of supervising the work and ensuring everything is done in the best interest of the members.”
Retansio Muganzi, the Branch Manager at Rwanyamahembe Sacco spoke passionately about the values of patience and vision. He surprised many visitors with the Sacco’s humble beginnings.
“Our Sacco started with one member who worked for seven years alone before adding another. It started with 18 shares and 10 members. Today, it has over 19,000 members, share capital of over shs2.5 million, and savings worth more than shs3 billion.”
“Initially, we lent a maximum of shs100,000. Now, we offer loans of up to shs300 million to qualified individuals," he added.
Henry Asiimwe, the General Manager also noted the impact of their partnership with MSC, which began in 2010.
“Before MSC, in 2010, we had a small membership of 1,362. Today, we have 17,984 members. Our share capital grew from shs70 million to shs3 billion. Our savings portfolio increased from shs107 million to shs3.1 billion, and our gross loan portfolio rose from shs 243 million to shs 8.5 billion.”
Asiimwe continued that joined MSC did not only increased on the number of borrowers but also enabled them open up more branches because of the rising number of clients in 10 districts.
“In 2009, we had 445 borrowers; today, we serve 2,595. Our profitability rose from shs11.4 million to shs866 million. We began with one branch Bwizimera and now we have four, with a fifth branch opening this August.”
Dan Mwesigwa, the Programs Administrator at MSC, encouraged the visiting Saccos to apply the knowledge gained during the visit:
“Let’s go back to our Saccos knowing that it's our role to recover the loans. Let’s not wait for MSC and RDCs to do our work. Be accountable to your members and show them the direction of growth.”
Maxwell Odong, the chairperson Lira Carpenters Emyooga Sacco, one of the visiting beneficiaries expressed gratitude to MSC for organizing the exchange visit and pledged to implement the lessons learned.
“With the knowledge acquired here, we promise that one day, Emyooga Saccos from Northern Uganda will be model Saccos.”