President Yoweri Museveni has today advised women to form Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs) according to their skills or occupation right from Parish to the District level.
He said if they did that, it would be easier for them to get support from government.
“The NAADs Fund focused on some agricultural products which we carefully selected. The other two Funds of Women and Youth have so many different activities going on.
The Kasanda youth gave me an idea that people with the same jobs should form SACCOs to which I agreed. For example, all hairdressers can form one SACCO.
It will be easier to support them than supporting individuals; which in the end, breeds jealousy. In Kasanda, they ended up making 13 groups to which I gave Shs.20 million each,” he said.
The President was speaking as Chief Guest during the women’s day celebration organized by Kampala Capital City Authority together with the Minister for Kampala City Authority at Kololo Independence ceremonial grounds.
Slightly different from the International Women’s Day that was celebrated in Bunyangabu District in the Rwenzori Region on 8th last month, the Kampala women’s day event had the aim of celebrating gallant Ugandan women who had taken care of their families, developed their professional careers and get out of their comfort zone to develop Uganda.
The President who arrived at Kololo ceremonial grounds amidst ululations, jubilations and cheers from the massive crowd of excited women, inspected a guard of honor and toured exhibition stalls from the different women groups showcasing different products.
President Museveni who gave out three dummy cheques to help support some women groups, encouraged them to continue creating businesses in order to amass wealth, eliminate household poverty and thereby create employment for others.
He also encouraged them to vote wisely so that they can have good representation in Parliament and be easily facilitated.
“All of you are crying that Government money does not reach you. The mistake is on your side. With the bullets that NRM sent for you to shoot, you focus on the wrong people. You vote people to Parliament who cannot help you,” he said.
Kampala City Authority, Hon. Betty Kamya, commended President Museveni for bringing freedom to Uganda and for endeavoring to support various women and youth projects in Kampala City.
She also thanked the women for always taking care of their families and striving diligently for the development of the country.
“Women took on a different role. They are now the ones paying rent, school fees, feeding the family and helping their husbands as well. That is why you find children on functions like weddings and graduation parties kneeling to genuinely thank their mothers for never giving up on them,” she said.
KCCA Acting Director, Engineer Andrew Kitaka Mubiru said that the Authority would continue to recognize the role of women in the nation and work with them to develop it.
He said that KCCA is planning to enhance the lighting up of the entire city as a protective measure for women who travel and work at night adding that the project of the installation of CCTV cameras is another measure of protecting City residents, women inclusive.