Government has distributed business toolkits and equipment to 66 Jua-Kali groups comprising 1,417 beneficiaries as part of ongoing efforts to transition informal sector workers into the formal economy.
The handover ceremony, held at Kololo Independence Grounds, was officiated by Esther Davinia Anyakun, Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The beneficiaries drawn from 29 districts include 900 women and 517 men, and are the latest cohort to benefit from the Supporting Jua-Kali Enterprises to Transition into the Formal Economy (SENTE) Programme, which aims to boost job creation, improve labour productivity, and facilitate formalisation of informal enterprises.
“The Government of Uganda is investing in you,” Minister Anyakun said. “This equipment is not for individuals, but for group use in line with the Memorandum of Understanding you will sign.”
Since its inception, the SENTE Programme has supported 781 groups across nine previous cohorts, reaching nearly 24,000 beneficiaries, 56% of whom were women.
The minister cited the challenges of joblessness, low productivity, and high youth unemployment as key drivers behind the programme. According to 2021 statistics from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 41% of youth aged 15–29 were not in employment, education, or training (NEET), while 92% of the employed population worked in the informal economy, which contributes 52% of GDP.
Despite its scale, the informal sector faces persistent obstacles, including lack of capital, inadequate skills, and limited access to equipment. Minister Anyakun warned that while the SENTE programme is already generating measurable success in productivity and business growth, some past beneficiaries had misused or failed to sustain the support provided.
“We are aware of a few cases where groups have misused the equipment or become dormant,” she said. “Targeted interventions are being implemented to ensure accountability and strengthen support.”
She thanked PresidentMuseveni and Members of Parliament for backing the programme financially, and called for continued collaboration in mobilising communities.
The government plans to scale up monitoring and expand the programme’s reach in the current financial year, reinforcing its broader goal of achieving socio-economic transformation through inclusive employment initiatives.