Butula Member of Parliament Joseph Oyula has urged residents to join a cooperative society to benefit from numerous grants and empowerment funds from both national and county governments and boost their businesses. Speaking at Butula Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) grounds, when he issued the Sh4 million Uwezo Fund to 20 groups, Oyula challenged the residents to embrace the habit of investing their earnings in constructive business to pull the out of the poverty bracket. ‘The government has so many loans and grants at low interest rates, compared to other financial institutions, so let us grab the opportunity to get ourselves out of poverty,’ he said. The MP underscored the need to sensitize residents on developing saving habits and purposeful borrowing from the Uwezo Fund and other government kitties with a view to improving their living standards. ‘We are way behind when it comes to taking loans, many residents here fear the risk, when it comes to investment. Lack of sensitization has denied people massive opportunities to get grants and they end up in the hands of shylock,’ he decried. The MP announced plans to launch a grassroots campaign to educate residents on sound financial literacy to boost their saving habits. On climate change, Oyula said he will lead a tree planting campaign on Monday the 13th to ensure the constituency does not miss out on the important tree planting campaign. ‘We must plant more trees to conserve our water catchment areas and mitigate the effects of global warming which has altered the weather pattern worldwide,’ added Oyula. The MP now wants the government to open up the constituency, which is rich in edible oils cultivation from its unique soil topography and climate. ‘Butula resident has the greatest potential for producing groundnuts, sesame, and sunflower on a large scale if the government can only find ready markets, which will boost the morale of residents who engage in this kind of farming,’ he noted.
Source: Kenya News Agency