MBALE, UGANDA – Sex workers in Mbale report that their livelihoods have been crippled following President Museveni’s public pledge to fund their Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) with 100 million shillings.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The group confronted the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, during National Resistance Movement (NRM) youth mobilization campaigns in Mbale over the weekend.
They desperately confirmed that while they wait for the promised funds, their financial situation has collapsed.
The promise was originally made in December during the Bugisu Youth Symposium, where President Museveni was assessing the performance of the Parish Development Model (PDM).
He committed the money to seed a SACCO for the city’s sex workers after they demonstrated they were organized and ready to use the funds for alternative businesses to leave prostitution.
The pledge immediately sparked a national debate, as commercial sex work is illegal in Uganda, placing both the beneficiaries and the government in a legally ambiguous position.
The President’s announcement has backfired,causing a devastating business downturn for its intended beneficiaries, who blame the increased public scrutiny.
In response, Minister Balaam Barugahara acknowledged the growing concern but provided only a vague assurance, pledging to raise the issue with the President while pointedly refusing to commit to any concrete timeline for resolution.
Facing a devastating loss of customers, the sex workers are now demanding the government immediately deliver on the President’s pledge, arguing the public announcement has done more harm than good.
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