Parish Development Model cash worry FDC
CAPTION: President Yoweri Museveni, (in a hat) during visit to Teso region recently. (PPU Photo).
By David Muwanga
KAMPALA – The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has raised a red flag on the Parish Development Model (PDM) claiming government is using a campaign tool to win the 2026 general elections.
President Yoweri Museveni who is on a country wide PDM performance assessment tour is in Busoga Sub-Region starting on Wednesday, January 22 and
ending on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
“The party is worried that government is using the PDM a modal as a political tool instead of genuinely addressing poverty and socio-economic issues in Uganda,” said the party’s deputy spokesperson Mulindwa Lubega.
He told the media during the party’s weekly media briefing on January 20, 2025, at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi that the auditor general’s report showed that the nearly Shs900bn that was dished out in the poverty alleviation scheme was forked out using fake security documents.
“Whilst Parliament appropriated Shs1.1 trillion for the PDM, Auditor General’s report revealed that household data collection only stands at 79.9% with a population registration at just 46.3% meaning only 21% of the population has benefitted from this poverty alleviation program,” he revealed.
He pointed out that the PDM management information system which started in the financial year 2021/2022, 9,366 PDM savings groups have been recorded onto the system.
“However, the report has identified that Shs41.7bn was disbursed outside this platform, contrary to the established guidelines,” he said adding that the PDM noted multiple loan approvals and payments to 902 individuals who received loans in the same names or same phone numbers.
“Whereas all the money was supposed to be sent through Wendi, more than Shs41.7 billion was disbursed outside the management system while some savings and credit cooperative organizations (saccos) were found to have undertaken ghost projects,” he explained adding that some of the said saccos didn’t have any physical offices to ease their tracing.
“Whereas a lot has been achieved to implement the programme, certain gaps still exist: the household data collection stands at 79.9 percent, with population registration at just 46.3 percent, lack of registered offices, implementation of ineligible projects, lack of accountability in certain instance as a result, many Parish chiefs have mismanaged the funds with non-existent projects, among others,”.
“Therefore, the party is calling for a comprehensive overhaul and rethinking of the PDM,” he said at the party’s weekly presser held on January 20, 2025.
“The party wants to see a revised program that addresses the gaps identified by the Auditor General’s report, providing a meaningful and effective solution to lift Ugandans out of poverty,” he said.
He urged government to shift its focus from crafting politically motivated programs to implementing sustainable and impactful initiatives that truly benefit the people of Uganda.
“The FDC further calls for the cracking of the whip on Government officials who fail to implement resolutions passed by Parliament on Auditor General Reports probed by Parliament,” he said adding that Parliament cannot continue sitting and making declarations and they are not implemented.
“We call upon Parliament to take punitive actions against accounting officers who do not implement recommendations in the Auditor General’s report,” he added.
He also called for procurement of audit opinions, especially at the local government level saying it is an important aspect of corporate governance that provides stakeholders with confidence in the accuracy and reliability of Government’s financial reporting in the pursuit to fight graft.
He explained that in the most previous auditor general’s report of financial year 2022/2023 reported that 6,307 employees were either confirmed dead, absconded, or retired by the time of validation.
“Out of these, 2,483 employees were removed from the payroll on time while 3834 were not deleted from the payroll thereby giving way to ghost employees,” he said.
He also pointed out that the report revealed rot in government agencies and local governments (LGs). . He explained that whereas the budget of the financial year in question was Shs64.1tn and Shs54tn warranted, only Shs47tn was spent.
“The report further raised a red flag on the pension audit system warning that the country faces pension liabilities, potentially exceeding Shs4.5 trillion annually by 2034, if left unchecked,” he noted.
In a related event this is the schedule of the President’s visit;
Wednesday, January 22, 2025:
Visit Buwala Tolofisa, a PDM farmer in Namutumba; Mr. Mukasa Eliot, a
PDM farmer in Luuka and Mr. Kazibwe Micheal a farmer in Jinja District.
Thursday, January 23, 2025:
Live Media interaction with Journalists in Busoga sub-region at Kityerera
State Lodge at 10.00 am; Commission the Presidential Skilling Hub at
Nakabango Jinja City and address a public gathering at Lwanda Primary
School. Later in the afternoon address Busoga Sub-Region leaders at
Mayuge district headquarters.
Friday, January 24, 2025:
Launch Construction works at Kimaka Airstrip; Commission the
Abyssinia Steel Factory in Jinja and later address the Busoga region
PDM public Rally at Kamuli Youth Center, Kamuli Municipality.
Saturday, January 25, 2025:
Commission the New Tembo Steel Factory in Iganga; address a mega
boda-boda rally at Iganga District Headquarters and later address the
nation at 8.00 pm at the Nakasero State Lodge.
