Mbale City leaders start monitoring of PDM progress
MBALE, January 23, 2024 – The Leaders in Mbale City have started visiting the Parish Development Model [PDM] beneficiaries to assess how far the beneficiaries have gone with the projects selected for income generation, upon receiving the money.
The authorities said they want to ascertain whether the money earmarked for the implementation of the projects was spent appropriately by the beneficiaries of the PDM.
Meanwhile, it was alleged that some officials in Mbale City Council continue to ask beneficiaries kickbacks, forcing the concerned staff to petition the Office of Resident City Commissioner.
“We want to verify the accountability of the PDM funds that have been released for the first, second and third quarters and whether they have been received and utilised well,” said John Rex Achila, the Mbale RCC.
In February last year, Dr. Simon Massa, the PDM Focal Point Person who is also the City Production Officer was arrested during a meeting at Mbale City Council Hall on orders of Jovrine Kaliisa Kyomukama, the PDM Deputy National Director, following a tip off by a whistleblower over alleged embezzlement of PDM funds. Massa was compelled to refund Shs 8 million that reportedly went missing, hence crippling the programme.
Meanwhile, RCC Achila has called upon leaders at different levels to continue sensitising the public about the PDM if the programme launched in February 2022, is to have a positive impact in the lives of the beneficiaries.
Mbale City received Shs 6 billion under the programme aimed at moving 3.5 million households in the country from the subsistence economy to the money economy, with government injecting in over Shs 1 trillion every financial year , targeting 10,594 parishes in the country.
The RCC said the programme is aimed at eradicating poverty through the execution of development activities at the parishes across the country. Under the programme, each parish receives Shs 100mln every financial year to fund enterprises selected by the beneficiaries who receive a loan of Shs 1mln each from the parish revolving fund supervised by the Parish Development Committee [PDC].
The priority commodities under the PDM include; coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oils maize, beans rice, fruits, dairy farming, fish farming, piggery, poultry keeping, and beekeeping among others.
https://thecooperator.news/bitter-lesson-as-mbale-city-officer-refunds-pdm-money/
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