Museveni to crush PDM cash thieves
President Museveni (2nd right) and wife Janet are welcomed by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala ahead of the address on March 16, 2023. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Parliament Speaker Anita Among said lawmakers unearthed the anomalies when she sent them to their constituencies for a fortnight from February 2, 2023 to monitor the implementation of government programmes including PDM.
- Mr Museveni reported that he had on a visit to Acholi, his first of several planned zonal tours countrywide, been told that ineligible civil servants formed savings and credit cooperative associations (Saccos) to benefit from the programme.
President Museveni yesterday vowed to “mess up” bureaucrats who “mess up” Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga – two government poverty alleviation programmes – in a report card acknowledging implementation missteps.
“If they tamper with the money, they will pay dearly for it. They will be an example for the rest of the potential culprits,” he said.
Addressing Members of Parliament yesterday principally about the two programmes, Mr Museveni reported that he had on a visit to Acholi, his first of several planned zonal tours countrywide, been told that ineligible civil servants formed savings and credit cooperative associations (Saccos) to benefit from the programme.
“I heard directly from the wanainchi (ordinary citizens) many bad things. In the town in one of the wards, people told me about this group where somebody called a (district) commercial officer called a meeting secretly of few people to form the leadership for the parish model because they want to find a way of stealing the money,” he said.
He added: “They didn’t involve all the people in the parish and yet we said all the people in the parish who want to engage in wealth creation should join the Sacco as long as they are adults, 18-years-old and above.”
The government rolled out PDM in 2021, increasing the annual cash allocation to every parish last year to Shs100m, to enable grassroot citizens outside the money economy invest in profitable enterprises and rotate the benefits within neighbourhoods.
However, findings by lawmakers, according to their report that the President said Speaker Anita Among forwarded to him, showedthat some Saccos received less money than they qualified for and there was no explanation on the difference.
Some 9,500 Saccos have been formed out of an expected 10,900, according to PDM secretariat, but a parliamentary report due to be debated next week found anomalies countrywide.
These, Mr Museveni said, must be fixed without tampering with programme budgets. Among allegations made to MPs was that some unnamed officials were asking residents to make illegal payments as precondition for joining benefitting Saccos when membership is supposed to be free, according to theprogramme design.
“We are going to follow all these and this one I got direct[ly] from the people. So, these thieves are not clever because if you steal, we shall come and find out,” he added. Meetings on PDM and Emyooga implementation in Acholi, the President noted, were dominated by corruption claims levelled by different stakeholders.
“All these thieves we are going to find out and you are just wasting your time and ruining your future,” he told the legislators who he urged to go out not just to talk, but listen, to the population.
On partial disbursements
Where the Shs100m sent by the Ministry of Finance to every parish a year is not absorbed, whether partially or fully, the President said the subsequent disbursements must continue so that the money accumulates to a substantial figure that recipients perhaps can use to establish the “biggest bank” in the parishes.
According to PDM blueprint, the maximum amount of money that a Sacco member can borrow is Shs1m, but there is no minimum threshold.
President Museveni yesterday said he had got reports that local government leaders were forcing borrowers to take a fixed Shs1m loan and turning away those seeking lower amounts.
“This is very wrong. What we are saying is that you cannot borrow more than one million (Uganda shillings) and if you want more, go to Uganda Development Bank because that is where you qualify. What we have here is a maximum of one million (Uganda shillings threshold). If I want Shs250,000, why do you have to force me to borrow up to one million?” he asked.
Among’s take on PDM
Parliament Speaker Anita Among said lawmakers unearthed the anomalies when she sent them to their constituencies for a fortnight from February 2, 2023 to monitor the implementation of government programmes including PDM.
She said the members verified the status of disbursement of funds to local governments, the existence and status of beneficiary groups and utilisation of disbursed funds and compiled a report which will be discussed next week.
“I am in receipt of reports by members of Parliament, categorised by their various sub-regions, detailing their findings and recommendations. The House will consider these reports next week after which we shall transmit the resolutions of the House to the Executive in [the] spirit of complementarity in our workings as arms of the government,” she said.
