Police authorities within Kiira region, have unveiled plans for enabling officers’ spouses to improve their general household incomes through engaging in agriculture – related activities.
The initiative is targeting an estimate of 150 officers’ spouses, who shall be skilled in modern agricultural techniques, with support from civil society organizations and operation wealth creation-OWC officials.
The agriculture empowerment drives shall be rolled out throughout the 38 police stations and 13 police posts throughout Kiira policing region.
They target to invest in low acreage agricultural projects, ranging from mainly poultry, goat and cattle farming, bee keeping and horticulture.
Brenda Asio, a spouse to one of the officers says that such empowerment initiatives will help them to boost their husbands’ monthly earnings.
“Our livelihoods entirely depend on our husbands’ monthly salaries, but with this new initiative, we shall be able to earn daily incomes, which can help us to purchase small holder commodities like grocery and children’s clothing,” she says.
Asio adds that some women are already engaged in piggery and goat rearing projects, therefore trainings on proper livestock keeping will enable them to yield high quality animals with better sales.
Another spouse who spoke on condition of anonymity says that such initiatives will help them to invest their time in productive ventures, rather than wasting away in idle talk.
While celebrating the contributions of their spouses at the Jinja city’s based Speke courts hotel on Tuesday, the Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi said that the initiative is part of their five-year strategic plan that is aimed at fostering economic prosperity of officers’ and their spouses incomes within the region.
Mubi stresses that they have secured land within the police divisions of Kiira North and Kiira East, which shall foster long term agriculture investment projects in coffee and cocoa farming.
Meanwhile, Margret Kulaba, the executive director of Anti-Domestic violence coalition-Uganda says that, women empowerment is essential in the reduction of gender-based violence amongst married couples.
Kulaba argues that most gender based violence cases registered in homes within Busoga sub region result from financial constraints, however, if wives are empowered with skills to generate incomes which can supplement their husbands’ earnings, several cases of violence can be avoided.
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