KABAROLE, October 11, 2024 — Four Kabarole Parish Development Model [ PDM ] officials have been charged in Fort Portal Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly obtaining money under false pretence. The case is presided over by Chief Magistrate Moses Nabende Mushebebe.
The accused are Godfrey Businge, the Kyerere Town Agent; Esther Kobusinge, the Kibasi Town Agent; Fred Amanyire, the Chairperson of Kibedde PDM SACCO; and his Vice-Chairperson, Robert Mugabe.
Court heard that the alleged offences occurred between February and August this year, during which the accused promised to assist PDM beneficiaries in accessing funds in exchange for payments.
Businge is accused of fraudulently collecting amounts ranging from Shs 50,000 to Shs 200,000 from various PDM beneficiaries, although he pleaded not guilty.
Kobusinge is charged with obtaining Shs 200,000 from Elizabeth Kanyunyuzi under the false pretence that the money was needed to access PDM funds.
Amanyire and Mugabe are jointly accused of collecting Shs 300,000 from Naome Ninsiima, who paid the amount on behalf of others to secure access to PDM funds. Both men have also pleaded not guilty.
While all the accused applied for bail, Magistrate Mushebebe granted Shs 1 million cash bail only to Kobusinge. The bail applications for the other accused were scheduled for hearing on October 14, and they were remanded to Katojo government prison.
The magistrate decided to remand the trio after the prosecution argued that their release could interfere with ongoing investigations. “This case is of public interest. PDM is a government program, and inquiries are not yet complete,” said state prosecutor Robert Arinitwe. He further noted that the accused, being town agents and SACCO leaders, might intimidate beneficiaries or compromise the investigation.
DefenCe lawyer Victor Businge argued that his clients are constitutionally entitled to bail and have sufficient sureties. However, the prosecution countered that the accused might disrupt ongoing inquiries.
About PDM
Launched in February 2022 in Kibuku district, the PDM aims to benefit 39 percent of active poor Ugandans by improving their household incomes through selected commercial enterprises, including dairy, coffee, bananas, piggery, grains, cereals, and fish farming.
PDM serves as a framework for organising and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation at the parish level, recognised as the lowest economic unit for planning, budgeting, reporting, and delivering interventions by both state and non-state actors.
The parish is central to multi-sectoral community development, implementation, supervision, monitoring, and accountability. The LC2 Chairperson and parish chief play crucial roles in the political stewardship of the PDM, supported by the sub-county and district technical planning committees.
https://thecooperator.news/soroti-begins-second-disbursement-of-pdm-funds/
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