KASESE, January 19, 2025 – Parish chiefs, town agents, and chairpersons of Parish Development Model SACCOs [PDM SACCOs] in Kasese district have received tablets to improve data collection efforts.
Kasese district was provided with 443 tablets by the Ministry of Local Government, marking a significant step in the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM), which has been previously associated with cases of fraud.
During the handover event at Kasese Youth Polytechnic last week, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Kasese, Henry Kabiriri, explained that the provision of tablets to parish chiefs aims to improve service delivery.
“Tablets are not just devices, they are tools for transformation,” Kabiriri stated. “I urge all parish chiefs and SACCO chairpersons to use them responsibly, ensuring that data is entered accurately and in a timely manner.”
He emphasised that this initiative is designed to streamline data collection and bolster the effectiveness of the PDM programme, addressing longstanding challenges faced by local leaders.
“The government is providing these tablets to overcome the challenges encountered during PDM implementation,” Kabiriri continued. “I reiterate the President’s directive to deny bond to suspected PDM fraudsters and urge civil servants implicated in such activities to return the funds before they face legal consequences.”
Julius Baluku, the Kasese District Production Officer, encouraged the public to embrace the goals of PDM, which focuses on socio-economic transformation. Baluku explained that the programme aims to support active poor Ugandans in escaping poverty by engaging in various enterprises, with each beneficiary receiving a soft loan of Shs 1 million from the Parish Revolving Fund [PRF] through PDM SACCOs.
He further emphasised that the tablets are essential for ensuring the smooth execution of PDM, which requires accurate and reliable data collection.
For years, parish chiefs and PDM chairpersons have raised concerns about the lack of technical tools, which have hindered their ability to carry out their roles effectively.
In December 2024, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics [UBOS] handed over 21,434 tablets to the Ministry of Local Government for the Parish Development Model Information System [PDMIS], aimed at facilitating efficient fund disbursement and beneficiary registration.
About PDM
Launched in February 2022, the PDM is designed to benefit 39 percent of Uganda’s active poor population, assisting them in escaping poverty through improved household incomes derived from commercial production. The model focuses on various enterprises, including dairy, coffee, bananas, piggery, grains, cereals, and fish farming.
PDM is a strategy for coordinating public and private sector interventions to create wealth at the parish level, which is considered the lowest economic unit for planning, budgeting, reporting, and the delivery of interventions by both state and non-state actors.
The parish is the centre of multi-sectoral community development, implementation, supervision, monitoring, and accountability. The LC2 Chairperson and parish chiefs are responsible for political leadership in the implementation of the PDM in their respective parishes, with support from the subcounty and district technical planning committees.
Each year, the government allocates Shs 100 million to every parish across the country to fund PDM initiatives.
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