By Steven Enatu
SOROTI
There is Shs200million locked under the youth livelihood project for Soroti District and 43million for the city because officials failed to submit data to the national level.
Government through the Ministry Of Gender, Labor and Social Development recently reinstated the youth’s livelihood program and so far many youths across Uganda have benefited except those from Soroti city and Soroti district.
A peep on the indicative planning figures from the Ministry of Gender Labor Social Development to all the accounting officers in all districts, Soroti district in the financial year 2022/2023 had two hundred one million four hundred twenty-two thousand one hundred fifty-two shilling allocated. (201,422,152shs).
In the same financial year, Soroti city was allocated forty-three million four hundred forty-two thousand two hundred eighty shillings (43,442,280shs).
Jacob Eyeru, the national youth chairperson blames this on the weaknesses of the district technocrats.
He said all districts across Teso received the money and have given out to the beneficiaries except for Soroti city and the district in the last financial year.
“This is the question of technical problems. The technical officers at the district and city failed to submit the data from the district to the national level. This is the money that we fought for as the youth leaders at National level. Soroti has 200million locked up because it delayed submitting the youth groups to benefit. I cannot even explain how angry I am because of this,” he said.
This financial year, 2023/2024, Soroti district has been allocated 35,133,146shs under youth livelihood program and 49,434,328shs for Women Entrepreneurship program according to the lasted IPFs released to all the chief administrative officers, town clerks and executive directors as of 1st August 2023.
For Soroti city, the Youth livelihood program has 21,680,460shs while Women Entrepreneurship program has 27,267,389shs.
Following this, Eyeru says he has tasked the youths leaders in the two local government institutions to follow up and ensure that the beneficiaries are not left out.
“It’s very bad for people across the country to receive money and Soroti city and the district fail and yet the national youth chairperson who brought the program back comes from this region, it doesn’t make sense to me, So that kind of action like we are doing comedy is why Teso is remaining behind. As a national leader who has seen how other areas are developing, I will not allow that, I will keep checking every week and by October I want to see the money for the last financial year with beneficiaries and this financial process of the IPFs have become smooth,” Eyeru noted.
