Your mail: Dfcu bank is a big joke

Sometime ago, I wrote a brief email to Dfcu bank, to which a one Elly Zimbe responded immediately.

In April this year, I contacted Dfcu again to confirm the contents of my earlier email as required by court. I provided a copy of the email in question.

After a back-and-forth exchange with their so-called customer care, a one Sharon Nakyejwe promised that someone would get back to me.

Then the entire “customer care” went completely silent. Despite email reminders and physical visits to follow up, they kept “tossing” me around in the hope that I would simply give up. I am now forced to go back to court to compel Dfcu to act, which is another process.

F. Kirungi,
Kampala.

Increase funding to solve garbage issue

I would like to address the recent directive from President Museveni regarding the proliferation of garbage in urban areas. While I am pleased that the president has taken notice of this long-standing issue, I cannot help but question why it has taken so long for action to be taken.

Many Ugandans have suffered for years due to the heaps of garbage that dot our towns and urban centers, and yet their voices have been repeatedly repressed by state security.

In his directive, the president has instructed local leaders to ensure that the problem of garbage is resolved within the next six months. This includes the procurement of garbage skips and the establishment of recycling plants.

However, I would like to bring to the president’s attention that Uganda is not short of these resources. Over the past years, the World Bank has supported various urban authorities to secure garbage skips and wheel loaders and finance the construction of recycling plants.

Most of the original municipalities, including Mbale, Jinja, Masaka, Iganga, Mbarara, Fort Portal, and Soroti, have recycling plants, courtesy of the World Bank. Despite this, the problem of garbage has persisted.

The main issue is funding. While the World Bank financed these facilities and expected them to be self-sustaining through the sale of manure, many of the beneficiaries have failed to operate them due to lack of funding. Moreover, the central government’s dwindling funding to these local governments has not helped matters.

Therefore, I urge the government to explore ways of increasing financing for local governments to enable them to deliver essential services to their people.

Ahmed Wetaka,
awetaka@yahoo.com

Emyooga has uplifted Busoga

Busoga has benefited from a number of government initiatives such as Youth Livelihood, Uganda Women Empowerment Program, Wealth Creation, Emyooga and now the Parish Development Model.

The Emyooga program is a government initiative in Uganda aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The program was launched in 2019 by President Yoweri Museveni as part of NRM government’s efforts to promote economic growth and reduce poverty among the population.

The Emyooga program is targeted at 18 different categories of SMEs, including boda-boda riders, women entrepreneurs, youth groups, musicians, and fishermen, among others. Each group is eligible for a specific amount of funding, ranging from UGX 30 million to UGX 560 million depending on the size and needs of the group.

The program is being implemented by the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in partnership with the Microfinance Support Centre, which is responsible for disbursing the funds to the beneficiaries. The funds are provided as interest-free loans, with a repayment period of up to three years.

The program was launched in 2020 and has been rolled out in various regions across the country. In Busoga, the Emyooga program has been
rolled out in all 11 districts, targeting various sectors including agriculture, fisheries and trade. The program has been well received by the
communities, with many beneficiaries expressing their gratitude and excitement about the opportunities it presents.

Overall, the Emyooga program has had a positive impact in Busoga, empowering communities to start and run successful businesses. The program has not only created employment opportunities but has also improved the livelihoods of the beneficiaries and their families.

This program has led to increased economic growth in the sub-region, helped in reducing poverty by providing the targeted people with
capital to start or expand their businesses and increased financial inclusion by providing access to financial services to people who are often excluded from the formal financial sector, among others.

Joellah Anshemeza,
Kampala.

Even worse is yet to come from nature’s revenge

Uganda has experienced the worst environmental calamities, which claimed lives and destroyed property all over the country.

The effects of climate change are real and serious. They range from heavy rains to rising water levels and prolonged dry seasons. And as a result, lives have been lost and property destroyed.

On April 24, one person died and three were reported missing after flooding from the overflowing of Muhokya river in Muhokya sub-county in Kasese district. The Kyanzutsu and Nyamwamba rivers also broke their banks around this time, damaging homes and property in Mahango and Kyanjuki.

Uganda Red Cross reported one person dead and two injured after a landslide in Bughendero in Buhurira sub-county in Kasese district on May 1, 2023. In Mbale district, one person died and several homes were damaged after floods in Bushikori parish April on 26, 2023.

Three people died after flooding from the Rushaya river in Bwambara sub- county, Rukungiri district on April 29. Most recently, we have seen Lwera – a key gateway between the districts of Mpigi and Masaka – flooding, cutting off the road connection.

The causes of the impact are not farfetched but the usual sensitization and warning given against encroachment and degradation of the environment that the population has taken for granted.

And if the customary practice of constructing and settling in wetlands, carrying out agriculture in catchment areas, and government bodies giving investors permits to do work in catchment areas continues, this is just the beginning of a worse reply from Mother Nature.

As Ugandans, we shouldn’t be shocked if nature starts claiming back what we have stolen from her. These floods have caused water pollution and with the numerous human actions along these water sources, they have facilitated water contamination to a great degree. Industrial effluents and sewage are directly released into these rivers and lakes, increasing pollution.

In the near future, we should expect food insecurity to become an alarm within these areas due to the exploitation and the exposure of marine life to these toxins. In addition, the loss of habitants and property has left a lot of families without a place to sleep or a place to make a living and sustain their families, which is going to force them back into the same cycle, encroaching on wetlands and mountain slopes for shelter and engaging in agriculture in these endangered places for food to feed their families.

This degradation of the wetlands and mountainous areas will lead us back to the same situation. Therefore, it is important that the National Environment Management Authority cancels all the permits issued out for developments within catchment areas.

District leaders should take it upon yourselves to have each and every individual encroaching on lakes and river banks removed. If peace fails, then the use of force should be justified.

Jemimah Babirye Kasibbo,
jamima@citizensconcernafrica.org