Return Shs1.2 billion UWEP & YLP funds-DRDC Bakak tells Kabale groups

By Senior Reporter

KABALE:

Kabale district local government is struggling to recover over One Billion shillings that were given to women groups under Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) and Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP).

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The fund was set up by the government in the 2015-2016 financial year, to mainly improve access to financial services by women and equip them with skills for enterprise growth, value addition and creation of a market for their products and services.

The funds are given to women with already established business enterprises who receive interest-free revolving credit to strengthen their enterprises. YLP is a nationwide government intervention intended to improve the socioeconomic status of vulnerable youth aged 18-30 years by equipping them with skills and start-up capital to improve their quality of life.

According to report released by Kabale district Labor office, the district received 965,256,145 million shillings for youth livelihood program and 791,496,495 million shilling for women groups from the ministry of gender, labor and social development.

According to the breakdown, 965,256,145 million shillings was dispatched to 146 youth groups and 791,496,495 million shilling to 148 women groups in the district.

Now, while addressing the Kabale district Community Development Officers (CDOs) and the subcounty chiefs on Friday this week during a review meeting about the new implementation recovery strategy of YLP/UWEP held at the district headquarters in Kabale municipality, the Kabale district Deputy Resident Commissioner (DRDC) Ronald Bakak said that the district has managed to recover 261,885,232 million shillings and they have an outstanding balance of 703,370,913 million shillings for youth livelihood program.

Bakak also revealed that, they have also recovered 289,806,100 million shillings and they have an outstanding balance of 501,690,395 for women groups in the district.

He said that the district is currently hunting a recovery of 1,205,061,308 billion shilling from both 164 youth groups and 148 women groups across the district.

Bakak gave both groups an ultimatum of 30 days to cough the outstanding money, failure to do so they will be arrested and prosecuted to courts of law by February 2023.