MBARARA – Members on the executive committees of the Parish Development Model SACCOs or PDM SACCOs are eligible to benefit from the programme, according to the Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi.
The PDM was launched in February 2022, to help move 3.5 million households still in the subsistence economy to the money economy through commercial production.
Days ago, this news website ran a story in which Andrew Wambi, the IT expert in the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance while in Mbarara City said the PDM SACCO leaders countrywide are ineligible to benefit from the programme.
Wambi’s reasoning was that the PDM Information System that tracks the beneficiaries cannot enter the National Identification Numbers (NINs) twice since it first captured their NINs as leaders and not beneficiaries of the programme.
The PDM SACCO executive committee includes; the chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary parish chief, LC II chairpersons, and other three committee members.
However, minister Magyezi whose ministry hosts the PDM Secretariat, in an interview with this reporter distanced himself from Wambi’s explanation of denying SACCO leaders funds under the programme.
He insisted that the PDM SACCO leaders are eligible to benefit from the programme and that the PDM Secretariat made a mistake that needs to be addressed so that all PDM SACCO leaders can benefit.
“The PDM SACCO leaders are first and foremost members of the SACCO; they should not be excluded from benefiting since they are eligible for the funds. It seems to be a system problem but we shall correct it. Whatever the cause, the error shall be corrected. We’ve taken note and thanks for bringing this up,” Magyezi explained.
Meanwhile, minister Magyezi said PDM beneficiaries who are still not ready will not receive money.
“There is no need to rush to disburse it to non-ready beneficiaries. This is their money forever and it remains with the PDM SACCO as the disbursement to ready beneficiaries continues. SACCOs may even supplement it with their own savings and lend it to their members following SACCO byelaws.
He advised beneficiaries who have not yet received the funds to work with the parish leaders to have the money allocated to them. “It’s true some applicants have not yet been considered but that’s a local matter which can be handled easily,” he said, warning those who have gotten the money not to divert it from its intended purposes as given in the business plan.
He continued: “The PDM money is not for paying school fees, debts, or dowry. It is to be invested in the selected enterprises that support the income generation of the households.”
However, Dr. Moses Amanyire, the PDM coordinator Mbarara City explained to minister Magyezi that the PDM Information System is inefficient to capture the right data, thus leaving out most Ugandans who would have benefited from the programme.
He added: “For instance, when we sent 800 PDM beneficiaries that we had prepared to be onboarded on the system, only 172 were accepted.”
Still, the State Minister for Economic Monitoring, Beatrice Akello who visited Ntungamo district and Ntungamo Municipality to monitor government programmes said leaders there complained of the many would-be PDM beneficiaries being left out of the programme.
“When I was in Ntungamo, the district chairman and the mayor of Ntungamo Municipality complained that most of the people were left out of the programme,” Akello said, calling for the rectification of the PDM Information System.
https://thecooperator.news/pdm-sacco-leaders-ineligible-to-access-funds-govt-official-says/
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