MUKONO, June 24, 2025 –– The chairperson of a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation [SACCO ] has been sentenced to two months in prison for soliciting a bribe linked to the Parish D evelopment Model [PDM] funds.
Katumba, the Chairperson of Namuyenje-Nakisunga PDM SACCO Limited, received a custodial sentence and was also ordered to pay Shs 50,000 in compensation after pleading guilty to demanding Shs 25,000 from a beneficiary in exchange for access to PDM funds.
A resident of Nakoosi village in Namuyenje, Mukono district, Katumba was convicted on June 18, 2025 at the Anti-Corruption Court, presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe.
When asked in court whether he had demanded a bribe, Katumba admitted, “It is true.” The magistrate accordingly recorded a formal plea of guilty.
According to Senior State Attorney Raymond Mugisa from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions [ODPP], Katumba solicited the bribe from a beneficiary, Dick Mawanda, in his capacity as Chairperson of Namuyenje-Nakisunga PDM SACCO Limited. The bribe was allegedly demanded as a condition for accessing the government funds.
Mugisa acknowledged that Katumba was a first-time offender with no previous convictions but argued that his actions deprived eligible beneficiaries of crucial financial support intended for income-generating projects. He called for a deterrent sentence to curb similar offences.
In her ruling, Magistrate Asiimwe expressed concern over the growing trend of corruption, particularly involving public funds. She took into account Katumba’s guilty plea and remorse, noting that he had not wasted the court’s time.
In addition to the prison term, Katumba was ordered to compensate the complainant, Mawanda, with Shs 50,000.
The judgment comes just weeks after President Yoweri Museveni, during a tour of Kasese District on May 12, 2025, warned local leaders against the misuse of PDM funds.
Launched in February 2022, the PDM is a government initiative aimed at coordinating public and private sector interventions to promote wealth creation and employment at the parish level – the lowest administrative unit for economic planning.
The PDM is built around seven core pillars: production, processing and marketing [value chain development]; infrastructure and economic services; financial inclusion; social services; community data [Community Information System]; governance and administration; and mindset change.
Under the scheme, the government has prioritised several commodities, including coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetables, palm oil, maize, rice, sugarcane, fish, piggery, dairy, beef, poultry, bananas, beans, avocado, shea nut, cashew nuts, and macadamia nuts.
Each PDM beneficiary is entitled to a soft loan of Shs 1 million to invest in these enterprises, as part of the government’s broader goal to transition 3.5 million households from subsistence farming to the cash economy.
https://thecooperator.news/two-suspects-arrested-over-theft-of-pdm-funds-in-kole-district/
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