SHEEMA – State Minister for Microfinance Haruna Kasolo has directed an inquiry into the operations of leaders in Sheema SACCOs. This came after locals in Sheema South pinned the district commercial officer, Mr Allan Mubanda for continuously soliciting money from them before sanctioning their loan requests.
Kasolo who was in the area at the Emyooga monitoring function said the action was totally unacceptable and ordered Mubanda to refund the money immediately.
He said if beneficiaries start pinning extortion on the commercial officer who is supposed to do a good job then it becomes hard implementing the poverty alleviation scheme.
“You then have no moral authority to tell the leaders about keeping the funds safe. We want to unearth the facts attached to this mess. RDC, we need to investigate the leaders, whoever touched and ate the emyooga money should be arrested. Those who can return it before action is taken, do so,” Kasolo said.
The minister urged the locals to use the money to do the right thing saying the new NRM term is for fighting poverty in all ways.
“I am going to do my simple report, I am going to leave an officer behind to expedite this issue of the commercial officer. RDC, you are the centre of this, the president has a reason why he directed the emyooga be given to RDCs. In the places we have been to, it has been good, even here we can be better if everyone gets to know their mistakes,” he said.
Kasolo added, “We don’t want anyone who hampers the progress of a government program. I am going to teach you this program and you understand it better, it is totally going to chase poverty out of our homes. I don’t want us to look at the mistakes, let us look at what is taking us further.”
Locals told the minister that when the RDC came to teach them about the Emyooga program, they shared with him about the extortion in the scheme and are currently worried that the mess might also end up eating up the Parish Development Model.
In his remarks, RDC Frank Kyerere said the DPC briefed him that the commercial officer accepted and put it in writing that he indeed took Shs2million from PWDs.
“Having talked about it multiple times, he should go to police cells now then we have a commitment written properly and action taken. This is dangerous and bad, we have been talking about it and he has been denying. We shall get another officer to handle the emyooga program in the advent that he is being interdicted,” he said.
