The resident of Kagorogoro village in Bisheshe Division, Ibanda Municipality, was one of the persons approved by his enterprise group to get a government loan under the PDM program on Tuesday (July 18).

Despite having strong business plans for the intended initiatives, many beneficiaries transfer the funds to other projects, some of which may not serve the program’s aims.

Bisheshe division community development officer (CDO) Frank Eliab Barigye, however, warned such recipients that they would be detained.

“We will arrest you if you get a PDM loan for a piggery project but use it to pay fees or buy new clothes.” “There will be no compromise on that,” the CDO remarked on July 18 during a vetting process for Kigarama ward PDM second-round beneficiaries at Kigarama Church of Uganda.

Last year, the government launched PDM to assist the 39% of Ugandans living below the poverty line in engaging in income-generating initiatives and improving their livelihoods.

According to Naboth Atuhairwe, the PDM chairwoman for Ibanda Municipality, the government encourages individuals to use PDM as a vehicle for household transformation through entrepreneurship.

He did, however, explain that the money would be returned after a two-year grace period, for a total of three years. He went on to say that everyone in the family was responsible for loan payback.

Fridah Tusiime, the town agent for Kigarama ward, said 32 beneficiaries from the ward received sh32 million in the first round earlier this year.