RDC Abudul suspends PDM activities over extortion claims
LIRA – The Apac resident district commissioner [ RDC ], George Abudul has suspended the activities of the Parish Development Model [PDM] in the district, claiming the process is marred by extortion of money from the beneficiaries.
Three weeks ago, the minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi launched the disbursement of the funds in the district while Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny of northern Uganda handled Apac municipality.
Under the programme, two local governments received over Shs 5 billion for disbursement to poor households still trapped in the subsistence economy so that they can engage in income generating activities.
A total of 890 beneficiaries had already received Shs 890 million and the rest of the beneficiaries were to continue receiving their funds normally but this has been stopped by Abudul claiming he had received claims of officials extorting money from the beneficiaries.
“Just in the period of one week we have so far registered over 100 complaints. Being desperate for the money, most of the beneficiaries are forced to pay money in order to access the fund, and yet this is against the guidelines,” he said in a letter to the PDM Secretariat.
RDC Abudul cited the persistent violation of the PDM guidelines where PDM SACCO chairpersons continue to hire services of private persons to profile the households to benefit from the programme.
“Worse still at the cost ranging from sh12,000 to 50,000. Then most of the parish chairpersons have continued to charge those applying to access the funds ranging from Shs 150,000 to Shs 300,000 depending on the amount one applies for,” he said in a letter dated July 17, 2023.
“This is also being used as a determinant of how much one may be approved to receive…the funds,” he added.
He added that most of the parish chairpersons, have also surrendered their user rights on the financial inclusion system [FIS] to strangers they confide in as IT experts which poses potential risk of losing the funds to non-members.
“A typical example of this is the chairperson of Akere in Apac Sub-county who has given out his FIS [Financial Inclusion System] account to someone in Kampala,” he said.
“Members applying for the money have to collect funds to the tune of sh400,000 to be sent to this person in Kampala in order for their invoices to be readied,” he added.
The PDM launched in February 2022, aims to move 3,5 million households still trapped in subsistence economy to the money economy. The programme emphasises investment in agricultural enterprises such as coffee, dairy, fish farming, bananas, piggery, among others.
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