Ministry of gender Suspends 97 poor performing districts from Youth Livelihood Programme

BY CHRISTOPHER KISEKKA

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has taken an administrative decision to the effect that any district or municipality, whose repayment rate for the Youth Livelihood Programme revolving funds falls below fifty percent of the amount due, will not receive further funding.

In a letter dated January 27 to chief administrative officers and municipal clerks, Mr Pius Bigirimana, the Ministry Permanent Secretary informed that move has resulted from persistent failure to supervise, monitor, and moblise repayments.

“…following persistent failure to supervise, monitor, and moblise repayments for the revolving fund advanced to the YLP, disbarment of project funds is suspended forthwith, until you meet the minimum requirement on payments,” the letter read in parts.

Mr Bigirimana further noted that continued failure in meeting the minimum repayment requirements shall lead to relocating the resources to district and municipalities that have demonstrated competence in the management of the funds.

By the time the document was issued, only 60 beneficiary districts and Municipalities out of the 157 had met the minimum requirement of 50 percent.

A total of 97 districts are to be affected, among the worst performing districts include; Amuru, katiki, Mukono Kitigum, Kaabong, Buvumama, Kween Jinja, Kalangala, Kalungu, and Rakai among others.

Ms Rita Ruzena, the Kalungu district community development officer, said though the ministry blames them to have failed to mobilize youth to bring back the funds, many youths who took the money disappeared.

“Many youth who received the funds in the first phase missed used the funds and some relocated to unknown place,” Mr Ruzena said.

 Recently, the state youth minister, Ms Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, promised a friendly approach in ensuring the recovery of the YLP funds from defaulters.

“As minister, I want to ensure that the tracking of youth who have defaulted on the loans is done in a friendly manner. With this approach, they will also be put to task to pay and encourage others to acquire the loans,” Ms Kiyingi said while in Gulu last year.

Ms Kiyingi said that much as those who have defaulted on the loan have impended on the government project, there isn’t needed to harass or arrest them.

Panic to arrest youths

Many districts have panicked and taken measures to arrest the youths who have failed to repay the money received these include Kalungu, Bukomansimbi and Wakiso.

Currently, over 800 youths in Wakiso are on the run as the district officials resolved to arrest them.

About YLP

The Youth Livelihood Programme is Government of Uganda financed programme designed as one of the interventions of Government in response to the high unemployment rate and poverty among the youth in the country. It covers all the 112 Districts of Uganda (including Kampala Capital City Authority). Cabinet and Parliament approved budget of UShs. 265 Billion (Approx. US$. 100 million) for the first 5 years of implementation 2013-14 to 2017-18. The Programme was launched January 24, 2014.