Tororo North Member of Parliament Nicholas Simon Owino has questioned the selection criteria and implementation of the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project, raising concerns over whether the initiative is reaching the vulnerable women it was designed to support.
Owino raised the concerns while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development, where officials from Enterprise Uganda, the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and CARE International were questioned about their respective roles in training and supporting beneficiaries under the project.
The legislator questioned the criteria used to identify beneficiaries, particularly highlighting what he described as disparities in the distribution of opportunities across different regions.
He pointed out that the Bukedi and Karamoja sub-regions, which are among the poorest in the country, reportedly had only one beneficiary each, raising concerns about the fairness, inclusiveness and geographical coverage of the programme.
Owino challenged the implementing agencies to explain how beneficiaries were identified and what measures were taken to ensure that women in the most disadvantaged communities were not left behind.
He called on the agencies to submit detailed accountability reports showing the names and distribution of beneficiaries, the training activities conducted and the tangible results achieved through the programme.
The MP also indicated that legislators would undertake field visits to selected project areas to verify the information presented before Parliament and establish whether the intended beneficiaries were actually receiving the promised support.
The concerns have brought renewed attention to the implementation and accountability of the GROW project, particularly the need to ensure that women in vulnerable communities have equitable access to opportunities intended to strengthen their businesses and improve household incomes.
By Alex Magala
4th Nov 2026
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