Prolonged drought blamed for Low PDM funds recovery in Kotido Municipality
KOTIDO, August 24, 2026 — Kotido Municipality has so far recovered Shs only Shs 1.18 million from just one Parish Development Model [PDM] beneficiary, with most recipients of the government funds struggling to repay the soft loans amid persistent drought that has severely affected their enterprises.
Under the PDM, a government initiative launched in February 2022, beneficiaries receive Shs 1 million each, as a soft loan for investment in the selected enterprises, especially in the agricultural value chain.
However, prolonged drought has particularly affected crop production, including green grams, millet, sorghum, maize and groundnuts, as well as livestock enterprises such as piggery, goat and cattle rearing.
Kotido Municipality, like other local government administrative units, began implementing the PDM in the 2022/23 financial year.
Under the programme guidelines, beneficiaries are expected to repay the principal amount at an annual interest rate of six per cent after a two-year grace period. Most beneficiaries received up to Shs 1 million, which they were expected to invest in enterprises such as coffee growing, dairy farming, piggery, fish farming and poultry keeping, among others.
Since the programme began, the Municipality has received more than Shs 7.7 billion and disbursed over Shs 5.8 billion to 6,155 households, leaving about Shs 1.9 billion yet to be disbursed.
Charles Opio, the Kotido Municipality Principal Commercial Officer, attributed the low recovery rate to persistent drought, saying it had made it difficult for beneficiaries to sustain their crop and livestock enterprises.
He warned that the situation could worsen because of the hunger crisis affecting the Karamoja sub-region.
Opio, who is also responsible for implementing PDM Pillar 3, said the recovery rate remains extremely low, with only one beneficiary having fully repaid the money received.
“PDM has not had a very significant impact because of the nature of the Karamoja Sub-region. We are aware that rainfall has generally been unreliable this year, and we have experienced drought. This has affected PDM enterprises because you cannot successfully implement crop farming, and even livestock cannot survive without adequate water and pasture. The drought has affected these enterprises across Karamoja, except for a few farmers who have managed to do well. This has also affected loan recovery. At the moment, our recovery rate is very low, and only one person has so far repaid Shs 1.18 million,” Opio said.
Daniel Aachilla Lowot, the Kotido Municipality Commercial Officer and PDM focal point person, also highlighted the impact of drought on beneficiaries across the sub-region.
“PDM beneficiaries who ventured into crop farming and animal rearing have really suffered because of the drought that has affected Karamoja generally. Crops have dried up and animals have died. This is something the Government needs to address, particularly through the construction of dams. We have been talking about water dams for a very long time,” Lowot said.
Lowot said local leaders and residents had repeatedly called for the construction of dams, but little had been done, despite the potential of such infrastructure to help communities cope with unpredictable weather conditions.
“There is no dam in Kotido Municipality. These are some of the investments the Government should have put in place because they would help us deal with such shocks whenever they occur,” he said.
He also advised PDM beneficiaries to document the effects of drought on their crops and livestock, saying such evidence could help the Government consider special arrangements for affected borrowers when repayment falls due.
“As the focal point person, I have sensitised people that when an animal dies, they should take a picture of it. Those whose crops have dried up should also take pictures of their gardens and report to the LC1, while ensuring that members of the Parish Development Committee are informed so that the cases are captured in their reports. This documentation could help us negotiate with the Government when it is time to repay the loans. At least such beneficiaries can be understood and may be given special consideration when their loans fall due,” he said.
Gabriel Lepera, a resident of Lokore Village in Narikapet, Central Division, said he planted maize on five acres in 2023 but harvested only two bags because of poor yields.
He said the losses would make it difficult for many beneficiaries to repay their loans.
Lepera said he planned to repay his PDM loan using income from other small businesses he had undertaken to survive, but acknowledged that many households would struggle to meet their obligations.
“I planted maize on five acres in 2023, but the harvest was very poor. I got only two bags of maize. I will try to repay the loan through the small businesses I am doing, but it will not be easy. There are many households that can barely afford one meal a day,” Lepera said.
Meanwhile, Andrew Mwalu Lochabar, a resident of Narikapet Village in Narikapet Parish, Central Division, said his piggery project had been devastated by African swine fever, which killed most of his pigs and piglets.
Lochabar said he was worried about repaying the PDM loan because the piggery project had been his main source of income and his plan for repaying the money.
“I bought four pigs and they multiplied, but African swine fever destroyed the entire herd. I was left with only one pig. I was also using part of the money to run a small business for survival, but I was relying mainly on the pigs. My plan was to sell them and use the proceeds to repay the loan. Now that they are almost all dead, I do not know what will happen,” Lochabar said.
Lochabar said he also runs a small pig-slaughtering business, but the profits are insufficient to meet the family’s basic needs, including food and school fees.
“We do some business slaughtering pigs. A pig for slaughter costs about Shs 250,000, and you can make around Shs 300,000. But that is not enough because we also have to pay school fees for our children, buy food for the family and meet other household needs,” he said.
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