Kyenjojo District on May 1^st, joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Labor Day, at a colorful ceremony held at Kihuura Playground, in Kihuura Sub county.

Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st every year, a public holiday that honors the contributions of workers to national development. The day is used to appreciate workers' contributions to national development and raise awareness about labor issues. This year’s theme was “Consolidating on the Gains of the Parish Development Model (PDM) for Increased Productivity and Inclusive Job Creation".

 RDC KYENJOJO Mrs. Julian Sarah Ayesiga, inspects a guard of honor at the Labor Day celebrations

Key highlights of the Labor day celebrations centered on appreciation for the invaluable contributions of workers across all sectors, from construction and farming to IT and healthcare, Parish Development Model (PDM): The PDM, launched in 2022, aims to transition communities from subsistence to commercial production, promoting local entrepreneurship and job creation.

The worker’s representative in the district council, Hon Edward Kabongoya, congratulated workers upon reaching their day. He thanked the district leadership upon celebrating the day on May 1^st, unlike other years when it would be designated for any other day. He also thanked central, local government, private sector, and NGOs for giving Kyenjojo District Workers jobs, and always striving to pay them on time. He however called upon government and other employers to respect workers' rights and safety, better working conditions, and prioritization of workers’ welfare in Kyenjojo District.

 Hon David Kabongoya, together with other workers’ representatives at the Labor Day celebrations

Kyenjojo District Workers representative, Mr. Gerald Asaba, voiced the workers cries especially on low wages, huge and varying salary disparities, and called upon the government to urgently revise the low salaries of civil servants, especially the Arts based ones, as one way of motivating them, and rewarding them for their efforts.

 Mr. Gerald Asaba, the Kyenjojo District Local Government workers’ representative, gives his remarks

The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Yiga Martin Paul, pledged to bridge the gap between workers and the District Local Government, urged both employees and employers each to play their roles in harmonizing this work relationship. He echoed the need to meet the workers’ representative and district leadership, to discuss workers’ grievances, that may not be echoed in public but need redress.

The Deputy CAO Kyenjojo, Mr. Yiga Martin Paul addresses the congregation at the Labor Day celebrations in Kyenjojo.

The Member of Parliament for Mwenge Central, Hon Donald Katalihwa, thanked the government for the Kihuura Seed Secondary School whose construction expected to commence in FY 2025/2026, that will improve education levels in the area, and also offer employment opportunities to the qualifying residents. He thus requested everyone to embrace government programs like PDM that are aimed at poverty alleviation and development of their area.

Hon Donald Katalihwa, the Kyenjojo Central MP at the function

The Kyenjojo District Woman MP, Hon Faith Philo Kunihiira, thanked government for its efforts to alleviate poverty, especially through the PDM program, but cautioned leaders in charge, to stop distorting from the beneficiaries. She also urged the beneficiaries to know that PDM funds are a loan from government, processed free of charge, and thus are supposed to be utilized well, and profitably to transform their lives, and later will be paid back for rolling out to other beneficiaries.

Hon Faith Philo Kunihiira, the Kyenjojo District Woman MP at the function

The guest of honor, the Resident District Commissioner Kyenjojo, Mrs. Julian Sarah Ayesiga Muhiira, congratulated all the laborers upon reaching and celebrating the day. She echoed that it’s not only for worker in the formal sector, but every laborer regardless of what one does.

She called upon everyone to embrace PDM and its 7pillars of Production, Processing, and Marketing, Infrastructure and Economic Services, Financial Inclusion, Social Services, Mindset Change, Community Mobilization, and Cross-Cutting Issues, Parish-Based Management Information System (PBMIS), and Governance and Administration, that aim to promote holistic development, economic growth, and improved livelihoods at the parish level.

She also called upon al workers to have a mindset, and avoid fraud, especially those involved in disbursement of PDM funds and its services. “everyone involved in PDM fraud will be arrested and arraigned in courts of law, in addition to refunding the funds mismanaged, and sanity will prevail”, she emphasized.

She requested workers calling upon revision of salaries, to be patient as salary reviews take time, and the President is aware of it. She however promised to bring it up for discussion at any chance she gets the forum to raise it.

RDC KYENJOJO Mrs. Julian Sarah Ayesiga, together with the district security team, adresses the congregation.

 Hon. Grace Atuhaire, the Deputy Chairperson LC V, together with Honorable Councilors, gives her remarks at the function.

The celebrations concluded with a football match between referees in Kyenjojo district and Public servants, in which the referees won the game 2-0.