Kabarole district boss warns SACCO leaders against misusing PDM funds
Rwabuhinga said some of the executives of PDM SACCO are misusing the funds by going against the guidelines of the programme.
KABAROLE, June 17, 2024 – The Kabarole district LCV Chairperson, Richard Rwabuhinga has warned Parish Development Model [PDM] SACCO leaders against misusing the funds, saying the money is meant to support the active poor fight household poverty.
Speaking to Kabarole district PDM SACCO leaders on Monday at the district headquarters in Kitumba, Rwabuhinga said some of the executives of PDM SACCO are misusing the funds by going against the guidelines of the programme.
“PDM guidelines indicate that for someone to benefit from this fund, he/she should be among the 39 percent active Ugandans but I received complaints that the executive members of some SACCOs smuggle in their relatives who are not in that category. That is against the programme’s guidelines,” Rwabuhinga said.
Under PDM guidelines, each beneficiary is supposed to receive Shs 1 million from the parish revolving fund [PRF] at an interest of 5 percent per annum to fund selected enterprises such as coffee, dairy farming, fish farming, piggery, fruit growing, and poultry keeping among others, although Rwabuhinga said some beneficiaries in Kabarole district have received less than Shs 1mln, which he said is illegal.
The PDM beneficiaries are supposed to pay back the money to the PRF after two years so that other beneficiaries can use it to develop themselves.
Rwabuhinga noted that the district is ready to deal with those who are doing contrary to the program guidelines because the money is supposed to do what it is intended to do and should benefit the right beneficiaries for it to be successful.
He further noted that under the 3rd phase of the programme, each of the 52 parishes in the district has so far received Shs 50mln which should be distributed to the rightful beneficiaries.
“I urge the general public to be vigilant and report to the authorities, corrupt SACCO leaders who solicit bribes from beneficiaries so that the law can deal with those frustrating the implementation of the programme,” Rwabuhinga said.
There have been allegations that the SACCO executive leaders asking for bribes to register the people supposed to benefit from the programme.
However, while talking to this reporter, the PDM SACCO leaders decried lack of financial support to execute their official duties.
On his part, the Kabarole district Chief Administrative Officer, Steven Rubaihayo directed all PDM SACCO chairpersons with intentions of sabotaging this government programme to resign earlier before the law takes its course.
Launched in February 2022, by President Yoweri Museveni, the PDM is meant to benefit 3.5mln poor households in Uganda engage in income generating activities so that they can be able to move into the money economy.
At least Shs 100mln is earmarked for each parish in the country every financial year, with 30 percent going to women, 30 percent to youth, 10 percent to people With Disabilities [PWDs], 10 percent to the elderly while 20 percent goes to the general community and men.
PDM is an approach to organising and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation at the parish level as the lowest economic unit for planning, budgeting, reporting and delivery of interventions by both the state and non-state actors.
The parish is the epicenter of multi-sectoral community development, implementation, supervision, monitoring and accountability.
The LCII chairpersons and parish chiefs are responsible for political stewardship in the implementation of the PDM with support from the sub-county and district technical planning committee.
https://thecooperator.news/pdm-sacco-leaders-urged-to-guide-beneficiaries-on-use-of-funds/
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