ARUA – The money being received by parishes each financial year under the Parish Development Model [PDM] could be doubled to Shs 200 million, according to President Yoweri Museveni.
Official government documents indicate each of the PDM SACCOs is to receive Shs 100 million, beginning with the financial year 2022/2023. The programme runs for five financial years.
However, Museveni, while speaking in Arua City during the recently concluded wealth creation regional tour of West Nile, said that amount could be doubled to Shs 200mln, if it shows signs of progress.
“If we see the programme moving on well, I can convince the MPs to add money, instead of Shs 100 million we put Shs 200mln. We can also have PDM in the city also. Since you have nowhere to farm, your job is to sell what other people have produced. So, the people in the village produce and you sell or if you are more organized you can process.”
The President also advised the locals to embrace the 4-acre model if they want to get the best out of the PDM funds.
“There’s also another mistake, the one of fragmenting land when the head of the family dies. This means that in each generation, the family land is becoming smaller and smaller… In some parts of Ankole they have what they call “Ndunde” [a quarter of an acre]. Now those people can no longer grow food for themselves. So, you now have land which cannot grow food for the family, and which cannot earn money for the family. But all this happened because they did not listen to us because we have been talking about this for the last 30 years,” Museveni noted.
“That’s why at that time we said 4- acre Model; one acre you put coffee, the second acre you put fruits especially mangos, oranges or pineapples , third acre you put pasture for zero grazing cows for milk, fourth acre, you put food crops and in the backyard, you do poultry keeping for eggs and if you are not a Muslim you can also have pigs in the backyard but number seven, if you are near the river you can have fish farming.”
During an interaction session, the locals complained to Museveni about the high levels of corruption by government officials in Arua. They pointed out the management of Arua Central Market which dubiously took away their stalls.
In response Museveni assured them that he would deal with the corrupt officials decisively.
“We are going to crush any corrupt person in Uganda. The corrupt are playing with fire, we are going to finish them,” he warned.
At the same event, Museveni handed over customary land titles to 11 people from two districts- Koboko and Maracha. He also extended a financial support of Shs 120mln to artistes in West Nile to set up a music studio.
Ora County Member of Parliament, Lawrence Biyika Songa applauded Museveni for starting the process of transforming Uganda through spreading the wealth creation gospel around the country.
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