KAPCHORWA, March18, 2025 – The Kapchorwa Deputy Resident District Commissioner [RDC], Martin Sakajja, has issued a stern warning to Parish Chiefs and members of the Parish Development Committees [PDCs] against extorting beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model [PDM] initiative.
The warning came during a capacity-building session held recently at the Kapchorwa District Council Hall, where Parish Chiefs and PDC members were being trained on how to use tablets for capturing information to be fed in the PDM Information System [PDMIS].
Sakajja revealed that he had received numerous complaints from PDM beneficiaries, alleging that some Parish Chiefs and PDC members were extorting money from them and distributing PDM funds to ineligible individuals, including businessmen.
“Verification of beneficiaries must be completed before funds are disbursed, and all enterprise chairpersons must inform the GISOs [Gombolola Internal Security Officers],” Sakajja stated.
He also urged enterprise chairpersons to refrain from altering the names of approved beneficiaries, emphasising that some leaders were tampering with the lists even after they had been approved.
Furthermore, Sakajja called on the enterprise chairpersons to prioritise applicants who did not receive funds during the last disbursement.
The capacity-building exercise aimed to provide PDM leaders with the necessary skills to effectively use and manage the tablets, ensuring the programme’s success as the district prepares for the second round of PDM fund disbursements.
Kapchorwa District Commercial Officer [DCO], Justine Jims Yeko, explained, “The training aims to equip Parish Chiefs and PDM leaders with the technical knowledge needed to streamline data collection and monitoring using the tablets, thus improving the implementation of the PDM programme.”
According to Yeko, the training will address long-standing challenges that have previously hindered the smooth distribution of revolving funds to beneficiaries.
The recipients of the IT devices were encouraged to use them effectively to achieve the intended objectives. The distribution of the tablets aligns with the government’s vision to digitalise operations and enhance efficiency in public service delivery.
Launched in 2022, the PDM aims to move 3.5 million households from subsistence farming to the money economy by providing Shs 1mln to each of beneficiaries. This funding, which is in a form of a soft loan, supports participation in the agricultural value chain, including ventures such as piggery, dairy farming, poultry keeping, fish farming, and fruit farming, among others.
https://thecooperator.news/kapchorwa-parish-chief-arrested-for-extorting-pdm-beneficiaries/
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