Performance of PDM and Emyooga Kigezi explained

RUKUNGIRI, February 14, 2025 –– The National Coordinator of the Parish Development Model [ PDM ], Dennis Galabuzi Ssozi has said Kigezi Subregion has so far received Shs 88.8 billion under the government programme that was launched in February 2022 by President Yoweri Museveni.

Galabuzi made the revelation yesterday in Rukungiri Municipality while giving a detailed account of the performance of the programme to President Museveni who is the region to assess its performance.

He informed the meeting that a total of Shs. 88.8 billion has been distributed among 428 PDM SACCOs in the nine local governments of the Kigezi Subregion comprising six districts and three municipalities.

The highest beneficiary according to size is Kanungu district with Shs. 20.2 billion and the lowest being Kisoro Municipality with Shs. 1.5 billion.

Gabaluzi, however, noted that whereas the region has been capitalised with shs.88.8 billion, the cumulative disbursement rate to date is Shs. 87.5 billion with the highest disbursement rate being by Rukungiri Municipality at a rate of 100.6 percent.

“This 100.6 percent means that point six is even interest that has accumulated on the account. So, it is a good disbursement rate,” Galabuzi said, noting that Rubanda lags in disbursement of PDM funds at 95 percent.

“So, the total disbursement percentage in the sub-region is at 98.5 percent which is a good disbursement percentage, but we still desire it to be 100 percent,” he added, further mentioning that a total of 88,000 households have benefited, the highest number being in Kanungu, at 19,000 households and the smallest being Kisoro. About 38 percent of the beneficiaries are in crop agriculture and 20 percent in livestock mainly piggery.

He added that the funds have been distributed well according to the allocated quarters which include; 30 percent for the youth, 30 percent for women, 10 percent for the elders, 10 percentg to persons with disabilities, and 20 percent for any other member of the community that does not fall in those special interest groups.

“This sample analysis shows that 58 percent of the beneficiaries are female. This shows that when it comes to livelihoods and trying to improve the livelihoods in your home states, women are more vigilant than men by these figures,” Gababuzi stated.

Although adults between 35 and 59 years are the most beneficiaries, Galabuzi said the PDM secretariat is impressed by the figures of the elderly above 60 years who have actively participated in the PDM up to 13 percent which is way beyond their quarter.

“So, we are within the ranges and the targets of what we had set in the beginning, and the intentions and objectives of the PDM are being realized within the statistics. These figures will help us know exactly how to plan, along the value chain, down the value chain, and how to get these products to the market,” he said.

About extortion, bank charges, and other small charges from agents, Galabuzi clarified that in line with the directive by the President, the PDM secretariat has budgeted for all the charges to ensure beneficiaries get full Shs. 1 million and also ensure that the number of agents are increased to at least per parish.

“So, we don’t expect any further charges on that money. The beneficiary is supposed to get Shs 1 million without any charge. So, anything less than that is criminality. And the President [Museveni] has given the Secretariat and other security agencies a directive that we shall be arresting anyone who tries to put charges on this money because it’s criminal,” he stated.

Residents share views on PDM performance

Pieri Mbabazi, who is a councilor of Hamurwa sub-county and deputy speaker of the Rubanda district, decried the imbalance in PDM distribution within the district, which has led to poor performance. Rubanda district has 17 administrative units, 470 villages, and 69 parishes.

“Hamurwa sub-county has five parishes with 67 villages. Originally it was six parishes. They removed one parish and made it Hamurwa Town Council with 8 villages. Now Hamurwa remains with 65 villages and a town council of 8 villages, two of which form a parish. You find a parish of those two villages, getting Shs. 100 million yet I have a parish in Hamurwa with 16 villages,” Mbabazi said.

Loy Kembabazi Loy, a female youth Councilor in Kanungu district, called for transparency in selecting beneficiaries, adding that due to corruption, the names of certain beneficiaries are deleted from the list.

Immy Turyabagyenyi Immy, a councilor representing people with disabilities [PWDs] in the Rukungiri district, thanked the government for considering them [PWDs] in the program but expressed dismay over the exclusion of some of their people, such as the deaf.

“Send us sign language interpreters so that category of people also benefits from the PDM,” Turyabagenyi said.

Gideon Akampurira from Rukiga district said the exclusion of local government leaders as beneficiaries of the PDM program is affecting its effective implementation.

“We also need to access this money so that we monitor a program that we fully understand,” he said.

Mr. Godrey Karuru, who hails from Nyanamo Town Council in Bukimbiri County, Kisoro district, said the program intended for poor people has ended up in the hands of the already well-off.

Status of Emyooga in the subregion

The Minister of State for Microfinance, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune made a presentation on the status of the Emyooga Programme.

According to Kasolo, the Emyooga programme aims at inculcating a saving culture among the beneficiaries in their Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations [SACCOs] who earn daily.

The 18 categories per constituency include, among others, Boodaboda riders, taxi operators, market vendors, shoemakers, performing artists, journalists, carpenters, welders, and the fishing communities. Another category of youth leaders and people with disabilities who cannot access loans from commercial banks and local elected leaders from LC 1 to LC 5 have also been included.

He said the Kabale district with 52 SACCOs received Shs. 2.2 billion, Rubanda with 32 SACCOs [Shs. 1.64 billion], Kisoro with 17 SACCOs [Shs. 3.46 billion], Kanungu with 36 SACCOs [Shs. 1.84 billion], Rukiga with 18 SACCOs [Shs. 740 million], and Rukungiri with 54 SACCOs [Shs. 2.5 billion]. All these, the minister said, have been prepared to receive additional seed capital of Shs. 20 million that is sent every financial year.

Although the Minister decried defaulters in the programme, SACCOs are progressing well in their saving culture to the tune of Shs. 2.52 billion realized as savings. They include Kabale (Shs. 206 million), Rubanda [Shs. 421 million], Kisoro [Shs. 1.1 billion], Kanungu [Shs. 337 million], Rukiga [47 million], and Rukungiri [Shs. 360 million].

“I’m happy to report that the Emyooga program in the Kigezi sub region has been a success, and beneficiaries have utilized their funds well in lending and showcasing impressive products and services,” Minister Kasolo noted, adding that his ministry has carried out capacity building in areas of mindset change, basic records management, cooperative governance, loan management, enterprise selection, planning and management of finances, and also resource mobilization through savings to ensure proper management of the programme countrywide.

Some of the best-performing SACCOs in the Kigezi Subregion include: Bufumbira North Elected Local Leaders Emyooga SACCO, Kabale Municipality Women Entrepreneurs’ SACCO, Bufumbira East Women Entrepreneurs SACCO, Kisoro Municipality Restaurant Owners SACCO, Kabale Municipality Tailoring Emyooga SACCO, Bukimbiri Youth Leaders SACCOs, Ndorwa East Welders SACCO, Ndorwa East women Entrepreneurs SACCO, Kabale Municipality Local Leaders SACCO, and Kinkizi East Women Entrepreneurs SACCO.

To ensure transparency and recovery of funds from borrowers, Kasolo informed the meeting that they have partnered with local radio stations that are equipped with lists of beneficiaries and defaulters to remind Ugandans of their obligation to pay back.

In other reports, the Minister of Works and Transport, Edward Katumba Wamala, presented the status of the road infrastructure in the Kigezi sub region, highlighting the national roads connecting the region under his ministry and the district roads managed by the district’s local governments with funding from the central government.

He assured the leaders that all the road projects previously under the defunct Uganda National Roads Authority [UNRA] will continue, such as the road from Kabale connecting to Lake Bunyonyi and Kisoro-Mgahinga Road, whose construction is expected to kick off at the end of this month.

The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries [MAAIF], Frank Tumwebaze, and the Permanent Secretary, MAAIF, Major General David Kasura Kyomukama, also presented a paper on the government policy on agriculture.

https://thecooperator.news/dokolo-emyooga-saccos-assured-of-additional-seed-capital/

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