Hoima City boss angry over misuse of PDM funds
HOIMA, February 22, 2024 – The mayor of Hoima City, Brian Kaboyo has called for more sensitisation of the beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model [PDM] if the programme is to bear any fruits in the area.
Launched in February 2022, the PDM is a government initiative aimed at helping poor households in the country get out of poverty by participating commercially in the agricultural value chain. Specifically, the programme targets to move 3.5 million households from the subsistence economy to the money economy.
According to Kaboyo, challenges have been discovered in the implementation of the programme where each beneficiary gets at least Shs 1mln to fund income generating activities such as coffee growing, fish farming, piggery, poultry keeping, beekeeping, and dairy farming among several others.
He noted that some beneficiaries have properly utilised the PDM funds, adding that he was not happy that other beneficiaries have mismanaged the money received in form of cheap loans.
Hoima City, the mayor said, has so far received Shs 1.695 billion under the PDM, covering 480 enterprises and benefiting 1,643 locals.
In the first phase, the city disbursed Shs 729mln to 729 beneficiaries and in the second phase Shs 919mln was disbursed to 914 beneficiaries, the mayor noted.
According to him, some of the beneficiaries diverted the money to non-profitable ventures while others changed enterprises.
“Some beneficiaries diverted the PDM money to pay school fees, while others spent the government money on gambling and drinking alcohol,” he said.
Kaboyo noted disregarding the programme’s guidelines on the use of the money may disrupt the intended purpose of the programme which government thinks is a game changer in the socio-economic transformation of the country.
He urged other local leaders and the implementers of the programme to double their efforts in monitoring and sensitising the beneficiaries, vowing that he will not tolerate any person sabotaging the PDM because it was initiated to help the poorest Ugandans to create their own jobs and improve their wellbeing.
He noted that government has invested money in several development programmes but beneficiaries have remained poor because the funds are always invested in non-profitable ventures.
For his part, the Hoima Resident City Commissioner , Baduru Mugabi recently warned PDM beneficiaries against mismanaging the funds, noting that this money is meant to help the active poor get out of poverty.
He noted that the city has registered an overwhelming number of people applying for the funds compared to Shs 100 million meant for each ward.
Under the PDM, each of the 10,594 parishes in Uganda is a titled to Shs 100mln every financial year from government for disbursement to the beneficiaries. Government has committed to avail over Shs 1 trillion each financial year for the parishes/wards.
https://thecooperator.news/namisindwa-couple-loses-pdm-money-in-house-fire/\
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