Nyakiyumbu Anti poaching Group reaps big from the seed Capital

RWECO  has supported 12 community based organization with micro grants of Ugx. 1,000,000/ to promote food security and economic empowerment for the women and vulnerable groups.  The main purpose of the seed capital was  to mobilize and build the capacities of ordinary men and women of Uganda to engage in livelihood improvement processes and activities with a view to reducing poverty at household, community and national level.  Key enterprises that the CBO’s are involved in among others include poultry farming, coffee farming, goat keeping and village savings and lending.

Nyakiyumbu anti-poaching group selected goat keeping as the major enterprise to promote increased household incomes and a total of 10 goats were distributed to 10 beneficiaries of which out of 10 goats, 6 kids have been delivered and distributed to six other beneficiaries.

The group has been keen on spending money on feeding the goats and as a result the members have planted elephant grass as terraces to prevent soil erosion on their Gardens as well as provide pasture for their goat keeping project. Also to prevent Malnutrition and ill health of their children the group members have been   embraced the idea of growing Kitchen gardens so to provide vegetables to supplement the meals.

I was also amazed that the CBO has integrated savings and credit scheme whereas the members convene the neighbour hood assembly they hit two birds with two stones by saving money that will help to support their families by proving education and health care. The group currently has

Nyakiyumbo group is composed of 30 members who seat every last of Wednesday of the month to discuss issues affecting service delivery in Nyakiyumbu Sub County. Among the key things that they are proud of as a neighborhood assembly they advocated for a market in Mushenene  market where they can be able  to sell their produce instead of travelling long distance to Kinyamaseke which about 18 kilometers to reach. An access road from  Kalongire to Kibara has been opened as a result of the continued advocacy for access road.  The CBO is leading a campaign against illegal poaching in Queen Elizabeth National park.

Indeed as  Farijallah the leader of the CBO communicated “Development is as a result of what someone keeps thinking about” therefore  it important for someone to be a custodian of his/her own development. His key recommendation for a successful enterprise project was for groups to copy good practice and learn from the bad ones as well as involving family members in project as well strive to be exemplary in whatever you do. This if taken up by all CSO’s poverty will be a history in Rwenzori Region.

RWECO is implementing a Citizens Manifesto in Action project supported by Oxfam Novib and Hivos. RWECO is also a member of CEWIT that Coordinates the project in Uganda covering 25 districts in 5 regions of Rwenzori, Teso, West Nile, Central and Acholi regions. Other partners in the project are: CEFORD, ACORD, PAC-U, DENIVA all targeting 12 CBOs per region. About 60 CBOs are benefiting from the project using the same model of Neighborhood Assembly as the entry point.

Bravo NAPA

By Sheila K

RWECO

 

CSOs advise on budget 2014/15

 The year 2014 has been a break through for the Civil Society to engage with Government of Uganda to demand for a pro-poor budget 2014/15. During the Budget Conference held on 15th April, 2014 at Uganda Manufactures Association Conference Hall, Kampala, where RWECO was represented by the Coordinator. The Theme for the CSBAG Budget Conference was: EVERY SHILLING COUNTS: ARE THE BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR THE FY 2014/15 EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT TO DELIVER US FROM POVERTY. The Chair was Dr. Ezra Suruma, former Minister of Finance. Participants were drawn from the rural country side unlike those from the urban based, and among the MPs in attendance were: Hon. Dorothy N -Woman MP Kamwenge, Hon. Ruth Achen, Koboko. The Conference highlighted issues of locating the vulnerable groups in the 2014/15 budgets which theme RWECO had initiated in the Rwenzori Region and supported three districts of Kamwenge, Bundibugyo and Kyegegwa to come to Kasese district where special needs education is supported by the District Local Government

 

Dr. Ezra Suruma, giving a note address at the CSBAG budget conference on 15th April, 2014

Hon. Dorothy N, Woman MP, Kamwenge District, listening to a participant who questioned                                                   parliaments role in the budget process

Why are the vulnerable people? one of the participants at the CSBAG Budget Conference on 15th April, 2014, questioning parliament whether the PWDs are part of the budget if they can not even have a vote on special needs education?

 RWECO must be applauded for initiating the discussions on locating vulnerable persons in the local government budget. CSBAG has taken the discussions to parliament and to question whether  the medical staff are trained in sign language.

Related story below

By PAUL TAJUBA

Posted  Wednesday, April 16  2014 at  01:00

Kampala.
Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), a collection of civil society organisations in Uganda, have urged government to increase the fight against corruption if the proposed 2014/15 proposed budget allocations are to benefit the rural poor.

Speaking at the budget debate yesterday in Kampala, CSBAG coordinator Julius Mukunda applauded the government move to increase budget allocations to key economic sectors such as agriculture, health, water and environment, and works and transport but called for tighter measures to curb corruption if the allocations are to reach the beneficiaries.

“A lack of political will has crippled our anti-corruption institutions thus undermining any efforts towards fighting corruption. Government must fight corruption if rural women and men are to benefit from this budget,” Mr Mukunda said.

However, Mr Moses Sonko, the representative of the Finance ministry, said the government is on the right track towards curbing corruption, listing the different organs fighting the vice but said the oversight role belongs to all Ugandans.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

Accessed on Wednesday 16th April, 2014 from:http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/CSOs-advise-on-budget/-/688334/2281034/-/4dt0jlz/-/index.html 

RIC-NET ICT Interviews with Kesia and Erinorah

Parliament plans to raise MPs’ pay

 By Yasiin Mugerwa

Posted  Wednesday, April 2   2014 at  01:00

Parliament.
Each Member of Parliament will have their salaries increased by Shs11 million annually if the Treasury okays a request by the Parliamentary Commission.
The request for an extra Shs43 billion is captured in the Budget Framework Paper, a blue-print for the 2014/15 budget. Whereas Shs19 billion had been provided for salaries, the Clerk to Parliament, Ms Jane Kibirige, has written to the Finance Ministry saying the amount is not enough.
She said the extra money is needed because Parliament will start consolidating MPs’ pay in the new financial year. In the new arrangement, both salaries and allowances for the 386 MPs will be paid at once unlike the current system where the remittances are done separately.

“This increment is partially funded by the amount of subsistence allowance formally paid to members from the non-wage budget,” Ms Kibirige said in her submission.
Currently, each MP earns a basic salary of about Shs3 million, which is taxed. They also get a subsistence allowance of Shs4.5 million, mileage allowance of Shs3.8 million, constituency allowance of Shs3.5 million, gratuity of Shs950,000, which is also taxed, and town run allowance of about Shs1 million.

If the government agrees to the request, the increment (Shs11 million) on the monthly pay for an MP will be equivalent to a 40-month salary of a primary teacher who on average earns Shs273,000 a month.

For the coming financial year, the Finance ministry had allocated Shs237 billion to Parliament. A total of Shs19b would go to salaries, Shs208b to the non-wage sector and Shs8.9b for development. The Parliament staff will also benefit from the proposed pay rise.

Ms Kibirige, however, says this allocation is inadequate, falling short of salaries by Shs43b, non-wage by Shs21b and the development budget is less by Shs46 billion. Besides the salary increments, she noted that other increases are linked to recently promoted staff, recruitment of new staff and rise in foreign trips for MPs. The MPs in 2012/13 financial spent more than Shs15 billion on disputed foreign trips.

Asked what he thought of the proposed increment of their salaries, Western Youth MP Gerald Karuhanga (Ind) said it would portray legislators as “suckers”.

MPs oppose move
“At this point we have become like suckers and this trend surely is not politically healthy for us and more critically for the nation,” he said, before asking the Executive to deliver services so that MPs cease performing government roles in their constituencies.

Mr Eddie Kwizera, a member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, said the request for pay rise “disguised” as consolidation of MPs pay is a testimony that the country needs a Salaries Commission to harmonise issues of remuneration.

Parliament’s spokesperson Helen Kawesa, who confirmed that there is an on-going process to consolidate MPs pay, advised those aggrieved to contact the Parliamentary Commission for discussion.

Plan defended
She said the commission must have considered the standard of living and inflation before proposing a pay rise for MPs, adding that the Constitution allows Parliament to determine its emoluments.

“Parliament is not selfish, as a matter of fact, over the years we have been at the forefront of advocating increased salaries for teachers and health workers but government always said there is no money,” Ms Kawesa said.
The chairperson of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Mr Steven Tashobya (Kajara) whose docket oversees the Parliamentary Commission expenditures, said he was not aware of the proposed pay rise for MPs since they are yet to discuss the policy statement for the coming financial year.

However, other committee members said when the matter comes up before the committee, they will task the commission to justify the request for the additional Shs43 billion to increase MPs’ pay.

THE KEY PLAYERS speak out
Western Youth MP Gerald Karuhanga. “At this point we have become like suckers and this trend surely is not politically healthy for us and more critically for the nation.”

Bufumbira East MP Eddie Kwizera. “I can’t support the request for Shs43 billion to increase our pay. Those salary increases are for those earning below Shs500,000 like teachers and nurses.”

Parliament’s spokesperson Helen Kawesa. “Parliament is not selfish, as a matter of fact, over the years we have been at the forefront of advocating increased salaries for teachers and health workers but government always said there is no money.” issy Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist. “They are a selfish lot that has failed to connect to the needs of their people. With the poor service delivery, how can they justify their increase? We don’t see any value addition from their being MPs.”

The numbers on mps’ salaries
Shs16.7m
Amount each MP earns as salary and allowances per month.

Shs43b
Additional amount that Parliament wants in order to increase MPs’ salaries.

Shs237b
Total amount of money allocated to Parliament for the next financial year.

ymugerwa@ug.nationmedia.com

Accessed on Wednesday 2nd April, 2014 from:http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Parliament-plans-to-raise-MPs--pay/-/688334/2266100/-/item/1/-/jkr2gy/-/index.html