Mubende: The beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model [PDM] in various LCS of Kasambya Constituency mubende district have exposed fraudulent transactions carried out by the leaders in the disbursement of the funds.
They allege that there were multiple payments sanctioned by the PDM SACCO chairpersons, connivance with the subcounty and district officials, and concealing bank account details of some of the programme’s beneficiaries.
Following various complaints, the area member of Parliament Hon David Kabanda stormed various LCS starting with kyakisa lc 1 and then Nabingoola Town council in kasambya constituency and sworn to die with a man at hand.
SACCO chairpersons, and parish chiefs were repeatedly accused by residents of corruption, saying they demand kickbacks from the beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model [PDM] and pointed out a one Tanansi Musana Alinaitwe the kibaale Sacco chairperson.
It’s claimed that many of the PDM beneficiaries Tanansi forced them to pay between Shs 200,000 and Shs 300,000 in order to be considered or else miss on the list.
“If someone doesn’t have the required money to give in as kickback, he has to first borrow in order to be in position to acquire the PDM funds.” one of the claimant said.
Mbabazi Margret, who was about to shed tears her said she was followed all the necessary steps and her details were put in the system but at the time of receiving money she applied, she was told that the money had already been withdrawn.
“I was not convinced with the explanations and when I went to the bank to withdraw the money, they told me my account had been credited with Shs 1,000,000 and already withdrawn and so I could revolve it” she said, adding that she later received a message indicating Shs 1 million was withdrawn from her bank account.
Most surprising thing was that at the time of withdrawal of the Money she was very ill and now she is confused what to do.
Angela katusabe is among the many beneficiaries who raised red flags over the mismanagement of the programme in Nabingoola subcounty.
She said in her group of 10 members, only three beneficiaries received Shs 1million each while the rest walked away with Shs 500,000, Shs 600,000, and Shs 700,000 yet all of them applied for Shs 1million. Under the PDM guidelines, each beneficiary is supposed to receive Shs 1million.
Charles Lubwama, Mayor Nabingoola Town council said about 90 percent of the PDM groups in his Town council that received the money had to share it with parish chiefs who were recruited by the government to lead the implementation of the programme meant to fight household poverty.
“This is really very unfortunate because you can imagine someone who applied for Shs 1 million ending up with Shs 700,000 because he/she has to give something to the parish chief and sometimes to their SACCO chairperson,” Ruvuuma said.
However Honarable kabanda promised to do everything possible to ensure that Tanansi pays back all the money he ate.
“I wonder why innocent citizens pay the money, something which is contrary to the seven pillars of the PDM, now, if one keeps on getting 200,000 from people how about if he gets from a 100 people that’s a huge amount of money” he said.
The beneficiaries receive the money under pillar three of the programme, which is the Financial Inclusion Pillar. he added.
The PDM is an approach to organising and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation at the parish level as the lowest economic unit for planning, budgeting, reporting and delivery of interventions by both the state and non-state actors.
Under the PDM launched in February 2022, each parish in Uganda is supposed to receive Shs 100mln each financial year to fund enterprises such as growing coffee, bananas, fruits, grains, dairy farming, fish farming, piggery, and beekeeping among several others.
Government started disbursing the money to 10,594 parishes in the financial year 2022/2023, spending over a trillion shillings and has continued to do so upto date
