Your mail: We expect better from Bobi Wine 

I read with interest Bobi Wine’s explanation on the fate of the late Paddy Serunjogi, also known as Sobi.

It has been widely reported that Sobi led a violent and law-breaking life. In his explanation, Bobi Wine paints an image of Sobi as being a pawn of the powers that be. If Sobi ever received any criminal missions as alleged from powerful people, then most probably it was based on his ‘expertise.’ Nobody goes to church to hire a mugger!

It is well-known that not any average Ugandan can aspire to reach the heights of criminality that Sobi was able to explore. Bobi Wine does not mention the thuggery of the Kifeesi group that caused mayhem in downtown Kampala with Sobi as the leader.

Rather, he goes on lamenting on why Sobi could not be part of ‘them.’ Who are they? Ugandans expect much better from an aspiring leader like Bobi Wine than just regionalizing criminality. Let us condemn bad things when they happen no matter who does them or wherever they come from.

Bobi Wine ought to know this by this time if he has hopes of leading this country.

Andrew Kasumba,
Kampala.

Govt should save Soroti Fruit Factory

Rt Hon prime minister, On November 24, 2023, you assured Ugandans that Soroti Fruit Factory has not been given out. This was in response to Speaker Anita Among’s query on whether Soroti fruit factory had been given out to a private investor as alleged.

You also told us how UDC has mismanaged this factory, and, therefore, there was a need to privatise it. According to you, President Museveni had identified the former first lady of Ethiopia, Ms Azeb Mesfin Haile, to help revamp the operations of this factory.

To the best of my knowledge, the proposed investor has no knowledge about the management of the factory. Throughout her career, she has been in politics, civil society and at one time was the CEO of the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray. During her (Azeb) tenure as an executive at the parastatal, she was accused of conflict of interest in the businesses she ran.

I am not against the idea of government partnering with Azeb to manage the Soroti fruit factory, but the market for the products is paramount. Also, the performance record of the proposed investor needed to be checked. Otherwise, we might end up like AGOA factory in Bugolobi.

As a farmer and supplier of fruits (oranges and mangoes) to this factory, I see no problem with the management. What government should do is to invite potential buyers of the products (concentrates).

There is this policy of Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU), which has not benefitted this factory. The producers of juices have continued to import concentrates, leaving ours idle. Of late, farmers have resorted to selling their products to neighbouring Kenya.

Charles Otekat,
Serere.

Let ghetto youths plant trees

Recently, when the president was addressing various youths, specifically the Ghetto youths, he promised them a financial injection of Shs 1.2 billion through their SACCOs. The money, the president said, was purposely for development.

But history has shown us that there are few people who have been able to start businesses, and sustain them, after getting such free money. Take earlier development progammes such as Emyooga, PDM, Bonna Bagaggawale.

Even if you provide money to fresh graduates who have some knowledge on the four sectors of the economy as highlighted by the President, few of them would be able to sustain their businesses due to lack of experience and practical knowledge on how to manage the factors of production.

Therefore, it would be better if the available labour of the Ghetto youths is used in other country projects that need urgent attention, such as tree planting.

As the country’s forest cover is largely affected by the high population growth rate and urbanization, the country’s forest cover has consistently reduced to 9 per cent in 2015 from 24 per cent in 1990 (NFA data 2016). And this is despite concerted effort to save forests by banning charcoal burning in some parts of the country.

So, the government should take an upper hand in restoring the country’s vegetation through planting more trees by using the available resources like cheap labour from the youths, large tracts of gazetted land in the country.

Injecting funds to ghetto youth SACCOs will not achieve the intended goal of fighting poverty. What the youths need are jobs. It is not by law that government should only employ graduates; so the government should employ the ghetto youths to plant trees.

Many businesses have collapsed not because of lack of capital but mostly a lack of a proper business planning, business management skills, just to mention a few.

Government should teach the youths about business planning. Thereafter, the youths can use their well-managed SACCOs to access funds.
Otherwise, if we continue disbursing money like that, it is more likely to be mismanaged by the officials without clear accountability.

Grant Ssebayonzi
ssebayonzig@gmail.com

Youths need to look at agric differently

Equipping youths with modern entrepreneurial skills in agro-business before considering them for government funds like the current Parish Development Model (PDM) cash may significantly curb its mismanagement and potentially alleviate unemployment, poverty, and rising crime rates.

Nonetheless, the predominant perception among our young people is that agriculture is an occupation solely for the illiterate or low-income earners. Recent trends show that significant portions of the Emyooga and Parish Development Model funds, intended to uplift Ugandans from poverty, have been misappropriated.

This disturbing trend has led to questionable efficacy of these initiatives due to lack of scrutiny and due diligence. Complementing programs like Emyooga and PDM by introducing upfront skills training and mentorship in agri-business could serve to not only mitigate these issues of mismanagement but also effectively contribute to reducing unemployment.

Unemployment among young people in Uganda is a growing concern, and there is a need for concerted efforts to address the issue. The First Lady and minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, during her one-week monitoring of the implementation of the PDM programme in Ntungamo district recently, advised communities to choose enterprises that they can easily run and quickly make money from, with agriculture being the best option.

She raised concerns about some people who spend all their money on fancy lifestyles, leaving nothing to invest. The First Lady described poverty as a curse, adding that this was the time for the people of Africa to get out of poverty.

The time is ripe to debunk the myths and misconceptions about agriculture being specific for the uneducated, peasants or the old folks. Farming is an industry with immense potential, from transnational supply chains to technological applications.

Our young people need to come to terms with the fact that modern agriculture isn’t confined to the traditional hoe and plot but embraces sophisticated mechanization, profiling a neat, smart, and tech-driven sector.

Consequently, driving young people towards agri-business can help address unemployment and reduce crime rates in Uganda.

Gladys Rosette Nandutu,
Kampala.

letters@observer.ug