Kitgum district has received 1.68 billion shillings under the Presidential initiative on Wealth and Job Creation Initiative, EMYOOGA.
Kitgum Resident Commissioner William Komakech who is also the district Emyoga program coordinator says the funds have been disbursed to the three constituencies of Chua East, Chua West and Kitgum Municipality with each receiving 560 million shillings.
Emyooga, a Runyankore word literally meaning a group of people doing the same thing is a presidential initiative program on wealth and job creation as part of government efforts to improve household incomes in the country.
According to Komakech, the initiative targets 18 clusters in each constituency where each beneficiary borrows and saves part of the disbursed funds in a bid to alleviate poverty and improve household incomes within themselves.
The benefitting clusters include; boda boda motorcyclists, taxi operators, salon operators, restaurants owners, welders, youth leaders, women entrepreneurs, persons with disabilities, journalists, performing artistes, carpenters, veterans, fishermen and elected leaders.
The Kitgum district Commercial Officer Alex Opira says the various business sector SACCOs cluster will each receive 30 million shillings, while each SAACO group for elected leaders will receive 50 million shillings.
Opira says the district technical team is apparently training all the 54 beneficiary groups before formalizing the formation and management of the different SAACO groups before they begin accessing the funds.
According to Komakech, Kitgum is amidst the first 14 districts in the entire country and also the first district in the Acholi Sub region to receive the funding under the first phase of the program’s implementation.
********
URN