Ndorwa East Journalists Vow Legal Fight Over Alleged Emyooga SACCO Irregularities
KABALE — A section of journalists from Ndorwa East Constituency has vowed to petition President Yoweri Museveni and pursue legal action over what they describe as the unlawful registration of an Emyooga SACCO that they say has denied genuine journalists access to government funds.
The journalists allege that the Emyooga SACCO established for journalists in Ndorwa East was registered with people who are not journalists, leaving the intended beneficiaries excluded from the government empowerment programme.
They claim that individuals from other professions, including boda boda riders, business people and housewives, were registered as members of the SACCO, despite the Emyooga programme being designed to support specific enterprise categories.
According to the journalists, the association operating under the name Ndorwa East Journalists Emyooga SACCO was formed without the knowledge or consent of many eligible journalists from the constituency.
The concerns were raised after representatives of the SACCO met officials from the Kabale District Commercial Office and the Microfinance Support Centre to discuss the dispute.
Among those the journalists identified as genuine beneficiaries are Emanuel Arinaitwe of Voice of Kigezi (VOK), Clever Kansiime of Hope Radio and Vandeoglas of Hills FM, whom they say are practicing journalists from Ndorwa East.
Veteran journalist and journalism trainer at Voice of Kigezi, Justus Tindyembwa, questioned why government officials would allow people outside the journalism profession to benefit from funds intended for journalists.
”It is unacceptable for government officers to allow people who are not members of the journalists’ category to take money meant for bona fide journalists. We are asking President Museveni to institute investigations so that justice is done,” Tindyembwa said.
Journalist Agaba Moses, commonly known as Seaman and a correspondent for Red Pepper and Chimpreports, accused district officials of failing to protect the integrity of the Emyooga programme.
He referred to the 2021 controversy involving the Mwanjari Journalists Emyooga SACCO, where individuals allegedly posed as journalists and accessed government funds. He said the then Resident District Commissioner, Darius Nandinda, ordered the arrest of the District Commercial Officer and members of the SACCO executive over the matter, adding that the journalists are still demanding accountability.
Alex Ahumuza, a resident of Nyakijumba in Ndorwa East who works with NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor, said the journalists are only demanding that government funds reach the intended beneficiaries.
”We have about 35 journalists in Ndorwa East who qualify for this programme. Our demand is simple: let the rightful beneficiaries receive the money that government intended for journalists,” Ahumuza said.
When contacted for a response, Kabale District Commercial Officer Erasmus Natumanya said those who were registered should be allowed to proceed with the programme.
”The people who were registered should proceed,” Natumanya said, without elaborating on the journalists’ allegations that non-journalists were included in the SACCO.
The response has failed to satisfy the journalists, who insist that the registration process should be investigated to establish whether all members meet the eligibility requirements under the Emyooga programme.
The journalists have now resolved to petition the President, the Minister responsible for Microfinance, State House and other relevant authorities, calling for an independent investigation into the registration of the SACCO and the role played by district officials.
They maintain that they will continue pursuing the matter through legal and administrative channels until, in their words, “justice prevails” and government funds are distributed to the rightful beneficiaries.
By press time, no official statement had been issued by the Microfinance Support Centre regarding the allegations.
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