Minister Lakisa Orders Probe Into Missing Jua Kali Motorcycles in Lira

What the report says

Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has opened an investigation into two motorcycles that were reportedly missing from a beneficiary group in Lira City under the government’s Jua Kali programme. According to Nile Post, Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Mercy Faith Lakisa said security officials attached to a ministry monitoring team were asked to determine what happened to the motorcycles and whether they were sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of.

Lakisa raised the issue during a monitoring exercise in Lira aimed at assessing how different beneficiary groups are using equipment supplied through the programme. She warned recipients not to sell or exchange government-issued tools for cash, saying such actions could trigger consequences. The ministry said the wider review is also meant to check accountability, identify implementation gaps and prepare a status report on the programme.

The Jua Kali initiative was launched after a presidential directive in the 2016/2017 financial year to help informal enterprises improve productivity, formalise operations and create jobs. During the visit, Lakisa also reviewed groups in catering, motorcycle-based services and poultry farming, noting both progress and constraints. Some groups have reportedly saved money and are planning to expand, while others said the equipment provided was too limited to meet demand.

At BAF Chicken Poultry Farm in Lira City West Division, officials found an incubator supplied under the programme, and ministry staff urged beneficiaries to use the equipment productively and keep proper records. The broader significance of the probe is that it reflects ongoing government scrutiny of public support schemes and their impact on youth employment and community enterprise development.