KIKUUBE, July 31, 2025 –– Leaders in Bugambe Sub-county, Kikuube district, have appealed to the government to increase funding for the Parish Development Model [PDM], arguing that the current allocation of Shs 1 million per beneficiary is insufficient to cover all project requirements.
The PDM, a government initiative launched in February 2022, aims to transition 3.5 million households from subsistence to the money economy. Under the programme, each beneficiary receives Shs 1 million as a soft loan to invest in selected enterprises such as coffee growing, piggery, poultry keeping, fruit farming, and dairy farming, among others.
Annet Asera, the Female District Councillor for Bugambe Sub-county, noted that some parishes are densely populated, and the Shs 100 million allocated to each parish is inadequate to support every household.
Speaking in a recent interview with this reporter, Asera urged the government to increase funding to at least Shs 200 million per parish to ensure that all residents receive the seed capital. She added that although people have formed SACCOs in preparation to receive the funds, many are still waiting in vain. According to Asera, leaders are often told that the available funds are simply not enough.
Joseph Kwatiramunda, the Chairperson of Bugambe Sub-county, and Chris Nkalu, Speaker of the Kikuube District Council, suggested that the government consider creating new administrative units to reduce the size of existing parishes. This, they argued, would allow more residents to benefit from the programme.
“Some parishes have populations ranging from 700 to 1,000 people. If the government allocates only Shs 100 million per year, it will take between seven to ten years for everyone in such parishes to receive the funds,” Kwatiramunda said.
They called on the government either to increase PDM funding or to create smaller administrative units to address the issue and ensure that no resident is left out. They further expressed concern that when only a few residents receive the funds, those who miss out are sometimes driven to theft out of desperation, particularly targeting beneficiaries engaged in poultry and piggery.
Kikuube District Chief Administrative Officer, Canon Edward Musingye, acknowledged that some parishes have large populations, but urged leaders to advise residents to remain calm. He noted that the issue had recently been discussed with the President [Yoweri Museveni] during his PDM tour in Bunyoro.
“The President [Yoweri Museveni] promised to address the challenge by ensuring that heavily populated parishes will receive more than Shs 100 million,” Musingye said.
He revealed that Kikuube district has so far received over Shs 8.96 billion since the programme’s inception, benefiting 8,960 individuals across 29 parishes.
Musingye encouraged local leaders to mobilise beneficiaries and promote proper investment of the funds to ensure the programme achieves its core objective of poverty alleviation.
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