The State Minister for Fisheries and Serere District Woman MP, Hon. Hellen Adoa, has urged men across Serere District to embrace the spirit of collective savings and join groups such as SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations) in a bid to boost household incomes and drive local development.
Minister Adoa made the appeal on Sunday while addressing hundreds of her supporters at a lively campaign gathering in Kadungulu Sub County, where residents, local leaders, and mobilisers declared a block vote in her favour as she seeks reelection as the NRM flag bearer for the Serere District Woman MP seat.
Speaking to the cheering crowds, Minister Adoa highlighted what she called an urgent need for a shift in men’s attitudes towards work and family responsibilities.
“After I am elected, what I want to address is the issue of men,” she told the crowd.
“The majority of men, not only in Serere, but also in other places, they wake up in the morning and there is not much they are doing. Most of the women are now picked up. Women wake up in the morning and go to look for how to support their family. But very few men do that. So I think mindset change for men is what I am going to tackle.”
Adoa explained that, in many Serere households, women have taken the lead in small businesses, farming, and market trade to support their children and pay school fees, while many men remain idle or underemployed.
She argued this imbalance was hurting family welfare and limiting the district’s economic potential.
To reverse the trend, she called for the establishment of more male-focused savings groups, SACCOs, and cooperative societies modeled on successful examples across Uganda.
“Men should be encouraged to have SACCOs. When you look at the Parish Development Model (PDM) and how PDM is supported, the majority of Ugandans are benefitting from this approach. We want to use that approach to support men,” she said.
The Parish Development Model, one of the Ugandan government’s flagship programs, aims to organize households into productive enterprises through parish-level SACCOs and extend affordable credit for small businesses, farming, and trade.
Adoa said that harnessing this structure to deliberately target and mobilise men would be a key part of her agenda if reelected.
The rally in Kadungulu Sub County was marked by high energy, music, and repeated chants of support for Minister Adoa.
Local NRM leaders, women’s group representatives, youth mobilisers, and elders turned out in large numbers, with many declaring their “unshakable” commitment to vote for her in the party primaries scheduled for July 17.
During the event, community leaders and NRM cadres from the sub county announced a unified position to deliver a block vote for Adoa, describing her as a tested leader with a strong record of delivering government programs.
“We in Kadungulu have sat and agreed: this time there will be no divisions,” said Moses Odeng, an NRM supporter.
“We are giving Hellen Adoa a block vote because she is the only one we trust to bring us development. She understands us. She knows our problems. And she is the one with access to government to lobby for us.”
Other speakers praised Adoa for her commitment to service delivery, citing her role in advocating for improved roads, water sources, and community infrastructure in Serere District.
Women’s leaders also hailed her for championing economic empowerment initiatives and supporting groups to access PDM funds.
“We know her. She is our daughter. She has fought for us women,” said Sarah Adongo, a women’s group leader from Kadungulu. “Now she is also talking about helping our men to work and save. We are with her.”
Minister Adoa used the platform to thank her supporters for their loyalty and to encourage peaceful, issue-based campaigning ahead of the NRM primaries.
She warned against divisions and urged residents to remain united to ensure Serere benefits from government programs.
“I am very grateful for the trust you are showing me here in Kadungulu,” she said.
“I want to promise you that if you give me your vote again, I will not let you down. We shall work together to change lives. We want every home to be productive. We want our men and women both to be active in supporting their families.”
She also cautioned her supporters against being swayed by “empty promises” from rival camps, urging them to evaluate candidates based on track record and capacity to lobby for the district at the national level.
The event in Kadungulu is one in a series of consultative meetings and campaign rallies Minister Adoa has been holding across Serere District as she seeks to secure the NRM flag for the Woman MP seat.
She faces competition from Esther Lucy Acom and Florence Iyogil in what is expected to be a closely watched primary contest.
As the sun set on the Kadungulu grounds, supporters vowed to intensify door-to-door mobilization in the coming days to ensure the promised block vote becomes a reality.
“We are not stopping here,” said youth mobiliser Peter Okurut. “From tomorrow, we are going house to house. This time, Kadungulu is 100% for Adoa.”
With such pledges of support, Minister Adoa’s campaign team left Kadungulu buoyed by confidence, but aware of the work still ahead in the final stretch toward the primaries.
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