Amuru moves to organise elections for PDM SACCO leaders

AMURU– Amuru District Local Government is in advanced preparations to organise elections for members to be on the committees of the Parish Development Model SACCOs [PDM SACCOs].

Initially, the interim PDM SACCO leaders helped register, and open bank accounts as well as produce the constitution for the SACCOs.

According to the Simplified Handbook of the PDM, each parish shall have only one PDM SACCO whose membership shall be the registered enterprise groups within the parish. The PDM SACCO committee will have only nine members; Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and five committee members.

Denis Rom, the Secretary for Finance and Administration Amuru district told this reporter that each of the PDM SACCOs in the district is required to organise a general election to elect the committee, with seconded members from parish based enterprise groups of a particular area participating in the election.

The PDM SACCO shall link subsistence households, through their enterprise groups, to qualify inputs, insurance, payment systems, tailored business and technical development services, value addition services, guaranteed markets through contracts with value chain leaders, grants, appropriate financing, and savings.

However, Rom says that upon election, the SACCO executive will serve for two years before another election is organised.

With Parish Chiefs as the principal signatory to the bank accounts, Rom says that each of them is yet to withdraw the Shs 5.1 million deposited for the operation of the SACCOs because the leaders have been operating on an interim basis.

“Each of the parishes will be required to organise an Annual General Meeting [AGM] to help formalise the SACCOs as we wait for the disbursement of the Shs 50mln for the implementation of the PDM in the first quarter,” Rom said.

Kelemente Arop, the Workers’ representative in the district council in an interview with our reporter claimed that several leaders of the SACCOs are raising concerns about why the district is organising the elections now.

Arop said that the district commercial department needs to do a sensitization drive to all the SACCO leaders so that they are aware of the latest developments in regards to the parish development module.

Amuru district will receive a total of 5.8 billion under the PDM programme in this financial year.

Under the PDM rural farmers are encouraged to practice intensive farming for higher returns per acre. Farming groups are advised to take up poultry, fish farming, piggery, food crops, zero-grazing, fruits, and coffee.

https://thecooperator.news/pdm-mps-rally-vulnerable-persons-to-form-businesses/

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