KIKUUBE, June 18, 2026 — The election of Parish Development Model Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [PDM SACCO] leaders in Bugambe Parish, Bugambe Sub-county, Kikuube district, has been suspended following protests by members who alleged attempts to impose leaders on them.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the parish headquarters, where members had gathered to elect new SACCO leaders.
PDM SACCO members across the country are currently electing new leaders following a recent directive from the PDM Secretariat in Kampala. The move is aimed at tackling corruption in the implementation of the government programme launched in February 2022, to move 3.5 million households in Uganda from the subsistence to the money economy.
Under the PDM programme, beneficiaries receive a soft loan of Shs 1 million each to invest in projects such as coffee growing, piggery, poultry keeping and fish farming, among others.
Monday Atanasi, the Bugambe Parish LCII Chairperson, said the protests began after the current SACCO Chairperson, Juliete Mugisa, expressed interest in retaining her position.
He said members opposed Mugisa’s candidature, claiming she had not been transparent during her tenure managing the SACCO.
According to Atanasi, tensions escalated after Parish Chief Shadrach Baguma supported Mugisa’s bid, arguing that the guidelines permit SACCO chairpersons to serve at least two terms.
Atanasi further alleged that Baguma informed members that incumbent SACCO chairpersons had been retained elsewhere across the district and that the same could happen in Bugambe Parish.
However, members rejected the proposal and refused to participate in the election exercise. The ensuing chaos forced the election officer to suspend the exercise for seven days.
One of the members, Grace Muringi, said they had lost trust in the Chairperson of Bugambe PDM SACCO.
“PDM provides each beneficiary with Shs1 million, but in our SACCO we received varying amounts because deductions ranging from Shs 50,000 to Shs100,000 were made,” she alleged.
Joseph Kwatiramunda, the Bugambe Sub-county Chairperson, said elections in the parishes of Ruguse, Katanga and Nyarugabu proceeded peacefully, unlike in Bugambe.
However, he condemned the incident, saying members should be allowed to exercise their democratic rights freely.
Parish Chief Shadrach Baguma denied the allegations, saying the meeting was suspended due to a lack of public address equipment. He added that the turnout was too large for him to address members without a speaker system.
When contacted for comment, Mugisa declined to speak on the matter.
The Kikuube Resident District Commissioner said elections of PDM committee leaders were progressing smoothly across the district and that no major incidents had been reported.
He added that the district security committee would investigate the Bugambe incident to ensure SACCO members are able to elect their leaders freely, without intimidation and in accordance with the guidelines.
https://thecooperator.news/pdm-saccos-in-lira-acquire-office-space-to-ease-operations/
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