Beneficiaries of Parish Development Model (PDM) money in Bunango Parish, Nalwanza Sub-County, Bududa District, have arrested the chairman of their SACCOS on suspicion of extortion.

They expressed their concerns at a meeting at Buwakiyu Primary School on Wednesday, September 20, with the Bududa District Woman MP, Agnes Nandutu, who also serves as the state minister for Karamoja Affairs.

According to the beneficiaries, the chairperson, Julius Nasaba, has continued to delete the names of individuals who have not paid sh100,000 off the list.

They stated that they would want to be advised on how to restructure the leadership of their parish development committee.

One of the recipients, Laurence Nasoba, said he paid sh170,000 after being threatened with expulsion from the SACCOS for failing to contribute.

Sandra Wetala, another recipient, said she was kicked out of the organization after failing to garner $150,000 in donations. She criticized the government for telling them PDM was free when others were paying.

Nasaba refuted the charges, claiming that he had never received any money from any recipient.

He stated that the funds were just for photocopying services and the creation of bank accounts so that beneficiaries could receive the funds.

MP Nandutu stated that preparations for community development officers and parish leaders have been finalized, and that extortion may become a thing of the past.

She stated that the program is still young and that they will most certainly face many obstacles, therefore she asked the recipients to be calm so that investigations into the claims against Nasaba could begin.

Meanwhile, PDM beneficiaries from Bushiyi Parish in Bushiyi Sub-County, Bududa District, are seeking a refund of the money they provided to the chairman of their SACCOS.

Moses Namukowa, the Bushiyi Parish SACCOS chairperson, is accused of collecting money ranging from sh100,000 to sh200,000 from each recipient.

According to the recipients, they have been waiting for payments since April in vain.

They began requesting a refund after Namukowa informed them that the cash would be delayed.

Namukowa was ordered to repay the money he allegedly received by Fred Musabi, the PDM’s focal point in Bududa.

Namukowa had organized a meeting with the beneficiaries at the time this article went to print.