Stakeholders continue to decry corruption as the biggest stumbling block hindering Uganda’s fight against poverty through different socioeconomic transformation, choking different poverty alleviation programmes introduced by President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement-NRM/NRA government since 1986.
The porgrammes including the National Agriculture Advisory Services-NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, Youth livelihood programme, the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme-UWEP, the presidential initiative on job & wealth creation-EMYOOGA and others have not fully realized their targets, with the ongoing Parish Development Model-PDM being looked at as the magic bullet.
PDM was officially launched by President Museveni on February 22, 2022, and the government has already started disbursement of over Ugx100 million to per parish through parish-level SACCOs.
Some commercial officers have expressed concern that these programmes are always politicized, besides being designed by selfish consultants who are sometimes disconnected from grassroots problems.
In Mbarara city, the disbursement of UGX952 million to 23 SACCOs started on May 24, 2023 to benefit 172 members from Mbarara city south and north divisions, excluding 5 SACCOs whose members’ paperwork was still questionable. Each member is currently receiving Ugx1,000,000 as revolving fund.
Mbarara city clerk, Assy Abireebe Tumwesigire confirmed that in a week’s time, all anomalies would be addressed, for all batch one beneficiaries to access the money.
The Resident City Commissioner-RCC Mbarara, Lt. Col. James Mwesigye however expressed dissatisfaction with corrupt town agents and commercial officers who solicit money from members.
Mwesigye further cautioned beneficiaries against misuse of the funds, and asked them to report all corruption tendencies saying that any form of corruption or misuse attract serious punishments because PDM is government’s last bullet in poverty alleviation.
