Katakwi district farmers may soon see an end to their days of poverty as they receive a significant boost in the form of hybrid goats. These highly profitable goats, provided by Vice President Maj. Jessica Alupo and Statehouse through the Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP), will help improve the farmers’ livestock. PAP is a government initiative that aims to reduce poverty rates in the country by ensuring that households and families living below the poverty line have proper access to food, financial assistance, and essential resources.

Through this program, rural farmers in selected model parishes are identified, trained, and supplied with various resources such as goats, pigs, sheep, and SACCOS. By press time, a total of 230 households especially women farmers received the hybrid goats from the programme in a well-attended ceremony graced by Alupo who is also Katakwi district woman legislator, not forgetting Hon. Lydia Balemeezi, the Assistant OC of this program at State House. The distribution exercise took place at Epel Memorial Technical Institute in Aketa village, Ongongoja sub-county, Usuk County in Katakwi district. Epel Memorial was built in honour of the father to Vice President George William Epel who was killed by the monstrous Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.

Addressing beneficiaries, Alupo saluted her boss, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the PAP, saying like other poverty alleviation programmes in the country, PAP is helping improve the livelihoods of vulnerable Uganda. She appealed to district authorities especially extension workers at the sub-county and district to closely monitor this project to ensure it achieves the intended goal of poverty eradication among households.

Meanwhile, RDC Maj. Godfrey Katamba said the district security team will be monitoring the project and asked the community to own the programme. Geoffrey Omolo, the District LC5 for Katakwi welcomed the initiative saying, it’s rare in other places to get such programmes and pledged to give a sharp eye to every beneficiary to ensure proper care of the animals. On the other hand, Hon. Balemezi, cautioned the beneficiaries against vending the animals, saying these goats are supposed to multiply. “We are giving you these hybrid goats to help you change your life in your family and it’s from the president’s office, you should not think of selling these goats”, said Balemezi.

She explained that the programme consists of five pillars which include; Improvement, food security, income generation, value addition and SACCO. Jennifer Agoro, a widow and one of the beneficiaries said she envisioned poverty running out of their family after getting these hybrid goats. According to Esther Akello, the monitoring officer in charge of Eastern Uganda 1,000 Goats and sheep have been given to 230 households of Arushakan Parish in Palam Sub County which is comprised of; Aeleyang A, Arushakan, Aeleyang B, and Oramun villages and more will come soon.