SOROTI CITY, September 24, 2026 — Newly elected Parish Development Model [PDM] executive leaders in Soroti City have been trained on their roles and responsibilities as authorities seek to improve accountability and prevent interference in the implementation of the programme.
The training, which brought together PDM SACCO leaders from all 25 wards in the city, started last Friday and ended on Wednesday.
Addressing the leaders, Soroti City Commercial Officer George William Tukei said the training was aimed at ensuring that they understand their mandate, particularly as the government shifts its focus towards economic recovery and improving household incomes.
He said the PDM programme requires every stakeholder to take responsibility, making it important for leaders to understand their roles and responsibilities and know where their mandate begins and ends.
Tukei said authorities had identified misunderstandings among the previous leadership, partly because some leaders did not fully understand their roles.
He cited an incident in which an LCII wanted to be part of the committee responsible for disbursing PDM funds.
“We are training them so that they know their roles and responsibilities, where they should start and where they should end,” he said.
Tukei said the training would help minimise conflicts and unnecessary interference while ensuring that PDM activities are implemented in accordance with programme guidelines.
Alex Emuron, the LCII for Senior Quarters Ward, said some leaders had made the work of grassroots officials more difficult by imposing unnecessary burdens on them.
He urged the new leaders to respect the roles of grassroots officials and allow them to perform their duties without interference.
Mike Stephen Ewalu, one of the newly elected leaders, welcomed the training, saying it had clearly explained the different roles and responsibilities of the leaders, which he said had previously not been well understood.
Ewalu said the training had brought clarity to their responsibilities and would help prevent leaders from crossing into areas outside their mandate.
He also said town agents had been overloaded with work because of confusion over responsibilities, adding that a clearer understanding of each leader’s role would help distribute duties more appropriately.
Col. David Ekabu, the Coordinator for Operation Wealth Creation in Soroti City, said the changes in PDM SACCO leadership, which followed elections conducted across the country, came after complaints from programme beneficiaries over alleged corruption and other irregularities in the management of the programme.
He said the complaints prompted authorities to change the leadership, following which elections for new PDM executive leaders were conducted.
Ekabu said the elections went well and expressed hope that the new leadership would help restore confidence among beneficiaries and improve the implementation of the programme.
He said the new leaders have a responsibility to ensure that the programme benefits its intended beneficiaries and contributes to improving household incomes.
The training is expected to equip the new leaders with the knowledge required to effectively supervise PDM activities while maintaining clear lines of responsibility among political, administrative and grassroots leaders.
Launched in February 2022, the Parish Development Model is a wealth-creation and service-delivery strategy launched by the Government of Uganda to move 3.5 million subsistence households into the money economy. Under the programme each beneficiary gets a soft loan of Shs 1 million for investment in enterprises such as piggery, poultry keeping, beekeeping, dairy and fish farming among others.
https://thecooperator.news/soroti-city-pdm-sacco-leaders-face-tough-conditions-to-access-funds/
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country- wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
