KASESE, October 19, 2023 – The Deputy Resident District Commissioner [RDC] in charge of Busongora County in Kasese district, Zephanus Mubingwa has threatened to arrest beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model [PDM] who have diverted the money to unplanned activities.
According to Mubingwa, some of the PDM beneficiaries who got the money are not investing it in the enterprises they chose to implement.
Under the PDM, beneficiaries are supposed to invest in coffee, dairy farming, fish farming, bananas, piggery, poultry keeping, fruits, grains, and vegetables among others.
“I have received reports that most of you who received PDM money are using it to do other things. I was told that some of you used it to marry more wives, others bought gambling machines, others are doing other things,” he said.
Mubingwa made the remarks while speaking to residents of Ibanda II cell in Ibanda-Kyankya town council Kasese district days ago.
He said he would punish PDM beneficiaries who diverted the money for the selected enterprises as a warning to who could be planning to do the same do the same incase they get the money.
“The PDM funds come with guidelines to follow but when people start following theirs then it means something has to be done to ensure we government achieves the objective of this programme,” he said.
The Kasese district chairperson LCV, Erifaz Muhindi called for a collaborated effort in the fight against corruption as they implement the PDM.
He said he will engage leaders at lower levels to ensure that the implementation of the programme succeeds. “We shall meet all the beneficiaries to assess whether they have invested in the enterprises selected,” he noted.
However, the Busongora North member of Parliament ,Sowedi Kitanywa alleged that persons living with disabilities and the youth from his constituency have not been not considered to benefit from the PDM funds.
“In the guidelines, the youth and people living with disabilities have a certain percentage [30 percent and 10 percent respectively] of the PDM funds but am shocked that they have not received their money,” he said.
The PDM is a strategy of government of Uganda for accelerating wealth creation and improving the quality of life of Ugandans by delivering services closer to all the citizens where a parish would be an epicenter.
PDM is meant to benefit 39 percent of the active poor Ugandans and help them get out of poverty by improving their household incomes through commercial production targeting the agriculture value chain.
Each parish in Uganda is supposed to receive Shs 100 million every financial year. The money is a revolving fund for the beneficiaries to borrow from and pay back. Each beneficiaries gets Shs 1mln for investment.
https://thecooperator.news/pdm-sacco-leaders-dismissed-over-alleged-corruption/
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