Some of the journalists from Ankole region listening to President Museveni’s address during a media briefing at his Rwakitura country home recently
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Ugandans who misuse the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds are to be thrown into prison, where they will grind their teeth for 10 months.
The main aim of the PDM, where the Government extends Shs. 100 million each financial year to 100 beneficiaries (households) in each parish through their SACCOs, is to increase Household incomes and improve quality of life of Ugandans through getting them out of the subsistence economy into the money economy within 5 years.
According to President Yoweri Museveni, whoever tampers with the Shs 1 million given to each beneficiary will be arrested and work without pay in government prisons.
“We shall arrest those who just eat PDM money and pay through labor while in prison. In the prisons, they have a lot of work to cultivate maize, cotton and other crops. So those who get PDM money and eat it will work there without pay,” he said.
President Museveni revealed this on Thursday, February 27, 2025, during an interaction with journalists from the Ankole subregion, held at his country home in Rwakitura.
Journalists had informed the President that whereas he is visiting farmers to appreciate the impact of the PDM program, many who receive the money use it to buy foodstuffs, while some use it to pay school fees.
He said perpetrators will be required to work for at least ten months (Shs. 100,000 per month) until the Shs1 million is recovered.
President Museveni addressing a media briefing at his Rwakitura country home on Thursday Feb 27th 2025
Regarding theft, President Museveni said they are in touch with the judiciary to ensure those involved in stealing items such as cows, goats, pigs, and the produce of PDM beneficiaries are not given bail or released on police bond.
“Very soon I will issue that executive order. We are in touch with the judiciary about this,” he said.
Surprised to learn that some commercial officers were extorting money from the beneficiaries, he said they should be arrested.
“The parish SACCOs, through their leadership, are responsible for their money. They are the ones to decide who should get the money and to also ensure that all the homesteads in the parish access this money,” he noted.
Regarding the excess production of items such as eggs, Museveni re-echoed that the government would establish factories to add value to eggs like it was done to other items like milk.
“When Ugandans started producing milk, we discovered that the internal market was insufficient. Milk production rose from 200 million litres a year to now 5.3 billion, yet Ugandans consume only 800 million. We decided to add value, and now we export powdered milk,” he stated.
The President pledged Shs 100 million to capitalize the Mbarara Journalists’ SACCO and a 36-seater coaster bus to aid their operations.
