Zombo: At the parish level in Paidha Sub-County, Zombo District, Parish Development Model (PDM) SACCO leaders are being investigated for allegedly falsifying beneficiary lists.
According to reports, these officials have been listing the names of living people among the deceased in order to replace legal beneficiaries with their own selected individuals.
On February 3, concerned elders from Paidha Sub-County brought up the matter with Festus Ayikobua, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Zombo, at his office. In order to resolve the urgent issue, the RDC quickly called a crisis meeting with residents in Awendukei, Otheko Parish, on the same day.
Awendukei village resident Ali Opoka was upset to see that his name was on the list of those who died, even though he had paid more than UGX 50,000 to obtain the money.
“We invested a lot of money and registered in 2021, but we haven’t gotten anything as of now. My name was on the list of the deceased when I visited the SACCO office. These are what kind of leaders? Opoka moaned.
The leaders allegedly replaced registered beneficiaries by erroneously naming them among the deceased, according to 65-year-old senior Abdulai Oroga, who also reported the incident.
“As elders, we were the first group to register here. To gain access to the funds, we paid UGX 50,000, but nothing has occurred. Rather, our names are listed among the deceased, Oroga observed.
Another resident, Walter Piker, said that the leaders had extorted UGX 15,000 from him and then listed him as dead under mysterious circumstances.
The chairperson of the Pikwo Union Group in Paidha Sub-County, Rose Awacango, blamed the parish-level leadership and demanded that the RDC take urgent action.
Other community members called on the RDC to step in and accused the leaders of filing baseless complaints.
Alex Oaikani, the Awendukei Village LCI Chairperson, accused residents of neglecting to bring their grievances to his attention. Likewise, William Okethi, the LCIII Chairperson of Paidha Sub-County, pointed out that some concerns had not yet reached his office.
Under the PDM program, which was started in 2022, Zombo District has successfully distributed more than 4,000 beneficiaries more than UGX 4 billion. Over 80% of the UGX 6.1 billion allotted to the district’s 61 parishes is represented by this.
At a recent Warr Town Council meeting, Zombo District’s LCV Chairperson, James Oyullu Oruna, provided updates. Out of UGX 6.1 billion, we have already distributed UGX 4.95 billion. 29 parishes have received 100% of their payouts thus far. I commend everyone for their hard work, and this progress is admirable,” Oyullu said.
In order to speed up the distributing process, he requested the district’s technical team to keep advising communities and leaders in the remaining parishes.
Reports of fund misappropriation have surfaced despite advancements. Last year, accusations surfaced that some beneficiaries were diverting the funds to non-productive activities.
Derick Rwothungeyu Ocweda, the District Councillor for Youth, commended the production team but emphasized the necessity of ongoing community awareness-raising.
“We have to make sure that these money are used responsibly. Ocweda underlined that there must be a greater emphasis on awareness and education.
The Production and Natural Resources Committee Chairperson, Evelyn Jane Othora, emphasized the necessity of improved training.
“We advise PDM SACCO leaders and parish chiefs to receive technical assistance and capacity building. This will enhance money management and expedite disbursements,” she said.
All PDM SACCO leaders in Paidha Sub-County were instructed to report to RDC Festus Ayikobua’s office on Monday of the following week after he denounced the fraudulent activity.
Ayikobua gave his phone number for immediate reporting of such occurrences, inspiring the community to join the battle against corruption.
Some parish chiefs and SACCO leaders have accused the PDM program of extortion, among other issues. A recent operation in Kango Sub-County resulted in the arrest of multiple SACCO officers who were said to have demanded bribes from beneficiaries.
The Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Zombo, Bruno Obomba Manano, strongly cautioned against these actions.
“Avoid being taken advantage of by others. During a tardy Youth Day celebration in Paidha Town Council, Obomba advised everyone to report any instances of extortion right away so that we can take appropriate action.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s Parish Development Model seeks to mobilize 3.5 million households and 17.5 million Ugandans. In order to ensure long-term poverty reduction at the local level, it aims to enable communities to take control of their own development.
Local officials and citizens believe that more robust mechanisms would be implemented to guarantee accountability and transparency in the allocation of PDM funds, given the continuing investigations and mounting suspicions over corruption.