Ntungamo: Due to allegations of embezzlement of beneficiary funds and bribery during loan processing, three Parish Development Model (PDM) SACCO leaders in Ntungamo are in danger of being arrested.

Among the accused are Kwega Aramathan from Rukanga parish, Remigio Tumwiine, the chair of Boda Boda Emyooga SACCO in Ruhaama main county, and Abenaitwe Augustine, the PDM chairperson for Kayenje parish.

According to this magazine, Mrs. Rosemary Atuheire, the deputy resident district commissioner for Ntungamo, ordered their arrest for allegedly embezzling funds intended for beneficiaries and requesting bribes from them in order to complete their loans.

‘’While PDM leaders were distributing lists of recipients who had not been chosen by members and also requesting members to nominate recipients, certain Emyooga SACCO leaders had divided money among themselves, excluding members such as the Ruhaama Boda Boda SACCO for money to work on their files, yet the government was facilitating them to do so,’’ she added.

According to the presidential representative, beneficiaries’ complaints accusing the leaders of unfair practices initiated the investigation, and these leaders were turned over to the police after they failed to refund the embezzled funds.

PDM leaders asked additional payments for file processing and offered lists of beneficiaries who were not selected by members, while some Emyoga SACCO officials were accused of distributing money among themselves.

Over UGX 100 million has been collected by the government this year, while UGX 2.5 billion has been distributed to Ntungamo district’s 238 parishes.

These incidents demonstrate how crucial accountability and openness are to the financial management of SACCOs and other community-based organizations.