PDM: Soroti City set to distribute Shs 1bln in third disbursement of funds
SOROTI CITY, April 1, 2025 – Soroti City is preparing to distribute the third phase of Parish Development Model [PDM] funds this week to the beneficiaries.
The PDM is a Government of Uganda initiative, launched in February 2022, with the aim of improving household incomes and welfare by bringing services closer to the people at the parish level, which is the lowest administrative unit for planning and service delivery.
Under the programme, each beneficiary receives a Shs 1 million soft loan for investment in the enterprise of their choice, such as coffee, dairy, fish farming, piggery, fruit growing, poultry keeping, and more.
George William Tukei, the Commercial Officer for Soroti City, revealed to this publication that Shs 1.025 billion is expected to be disbursed to 1,250 beneficiaries across the 25 wards in the East and West divisions.
“We expect to disburse these funds next week after training the beneficiaries,” Tukei said.
Tukei cautioned the PDM SACCO leadership to stop extorting the beneficiaries of the programme, stating that the money for processing the loans has already been sent by the government.
“The SACCO leadership already has their Shs 250,000 for application forms, stationery, and other related expenses. We should not hear that they have asked for money from the beneficiaries,” Tukei warned.
He urged the programme’s beneficiaries to stick to their enterprises to avoid misuse of the funds, noting that it is important that other members also benefit.
Tukei also highlighted that the government has sent an additional Shs 400,000 for bank charges and expects the banks not to charge the programme beneficiaries, ensuring they receive the full Shs 1 million.
Rosemary Akareut, a resident of Majengo Ward in the West Division, said she had been waiting for this money for a long time after missing the first and second phases of the fund disbursements.
“Immediately I receive this money, I want to invest it in my poultry project. Maybe my suffering will finally end,” Akareut said.
Marion Akomo, another resident of Oderia Ward in the West Division, is pleased that the money has arrived at the right time for her to invest in her chosen enterprises.
Akomo, who sells eggs, plans to expand her business by opening a shop where people can buy directly from her.
“Currently, I am selling a few trays, but I want to buy over 100 trays to attract more customers and also increase my profits,” Akomo said.
The main target of the PDM are subsistence households operating across the entire agricultural value chain. According to statistics, 39 per cent of Ugandan households, or 16 million people, are part of the subsistence economy. The majority of these individuals represent the most poverty-stricken, landless, vulnerable, and unemployed Ugandans, who are trapped in a vicious cycle of “low income, low savings, low investment, and no assets.”
To access services under the PDM, subsistence households will be organised into common Enterprise Groups that engage in a shared income-generating activity within their locality, at the village/cell and parish/ward levels.
The main goal of organising these subsistence households is to ensure that a minimum package of services is delivered in a coordinated manner to help make investments work for them, officials say.
https://thecooperator.news/soroti-city-west-journalists-sacco-struggles-to-recover-emyooga-funds/
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