NICHOLAS A
Jackson Byamukama, the retired senior community development officer, yesterday, December 20, 2024, challenged the people of Ruhinda Sub-County to adopt a mindset change if they are to improve their living standards.
Byamukama made these remarks while addressing hundreds of members of Buhunga SACCO Limited, who had gathered in Rwenshaka Trading Center to witness the official opening of the SACCO’s new outreach branch in Ruhinda Sub-County.
He highlighted that many people in Uganda remain poor by choice, emphasizing that a lack of commitment to work and prioritizing unproductive activities such as alcoholism, adultery, and gambling are key contributors to poverty.
Byamukama urged the residents of Buhunga to work hard and make good use of the services offered at the new SACCO outreach. He stressed the importance of borrowing money responsibly, utilizing it effectively, and ensuring timely repayment.
He also encouraged SACCO members to set clear goals before borrowing money and devise strategies to repay loans, thereby fostering financial discipline and development.
Alex Rutakomberwa, the general manager of Buhunga SACCO, explained that the decision to establish an outreach branch in Rwenshaka was driven by the high number of SACCO members in the area. Previously, these members had to travel to Buhunga to access services.
Rutakomberwa noted that Buhunga SACCO currently serves 5,718 members and has established three outreach branches, with Rwenshaka joining Rutooma Kihanga and Omubugando in Mitooma District.
He further revealed that the SACCO has a loan portfolio of 3 billion UGX and savings totaling 2.5 billion UGX.
Hellen Kabajungu, the LC3 chairperson of Ruhinda Sub-County, commended Buhunga SACCO for extending its services to the area. She noted that previous efforts by the sub-county to develop SACCOs had not been successful and urged the people of Ruhinda to embrace and utilize Buhunga SACCO’s services for their development.
A section of SACCO members from Ruhinda expressed their gratitude for the new outreach, noting that they had previously faced challenges traveling long distances to access services in Buhunga. They praised the SACCO authorities for bringing the services closer to them.
