YLP and UWEP Beneficiaries Shine as Parliamentary Budget Office and Ministry of Gender Conduct Joint Monitoring Exercise in Mukono District.

Mukono District, Uganda:
The Parliamentary Budget Office, in collaboration with officials from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, has conducted a comprehensive joint monitoring and evaluation exercise to assess the performance of the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) in Mukono District.

The exercise, which focused on implementation progress, impact, challenges, and direct beneficiary engagement, began with a meeting at the office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Mukono District, Ms. Elizabeth Namanda, and the Senior District Community Development Officer, Mrs. Immaculate Nsangi.

Following the office engagement, Mrs. Nsangi led the joint team into the field where they interacted with both youth and women beneficiary groups. The YLP groups visited included Kitale B Youth Cocoa Traders and Ddundu Youth Nursery Bed Operators. The UWEP groups engaged included the All-Saints Women’s Group, which deals in function hiring services (tents, chairs, and catering), and Bulimu Women’s Group, which is engaged in dairy farming. The field visits were supported by Community Development Officers from Kasawo Town Council and Kyampisi Sub- County.

During the engagement, Ms. Elizabeth Namanda, the CAO of Mukono, acknowledged the transformative impact of the programs but pointed out a key challenge the recovery of funds. She noted that the Sub-County chiefs and Community Development Officers (CDOs) no longer have full authority or visibility over the program accounts, leaving the responsibility entirely to the beneficiary groups.

She urged government to continue supporting successful groups, affirming that her office would maintain efforts in monitoring and sensitization to enhance program sustainability and participation.

Ms. Sharon Achiro, the Regional Coordinator for YLP and UWEP, emphasized the goal of the monitoring exercise: to assess fund recovery and program effectiveness. She revealed that Mukono District had received UGX 1.1 billion under YLP for 249 youth groups, and UGX 1.5 billion under UWEP for 127 women groups.

However, she called for strategic selection of beneficiary groups and viable projects that can generate sustainable income, advising against limiting beneficiaries to a single type of enterprise.

Meanwhile, Mr. David Mugisha, Principal Economist from the Parliamentary Budget Office, stated that the oversight visit aimed to evaluate how budgeted government resources have been utilized and to assess the effectiveness of these interventions at the grassroots. He commended Mukono District for having a high number of functional and growing groups, especially under UWEP.

Mr. Mugisha further observed that while both programs have been impactful, women’s groups have shown greater resilience and consistency in repayment compared to youth groups, which are often affected by migration and group member dropouts due to marriage or relocation. He assured that after this assessment; recommendations will be made to ensure that more funds are allocated to the most successful groups in future budget cycles.

The joint assessment showcased the importance of community-level monitoring, active beneficiary engagement, and supportive local leadership in ensuring the success of government empowerment programs