The Serere district police are looking for a lady who reportedly got a duplicate payment of Parish Development Model (PDM) funds.
One Asio, a resident of Opucet village Bugondo parish in Bugondo sub-county, got payment twice on the same day, making her the district’s lone beneficiary to get shs2 million instead of the sh1 million intended for each beneficiary.
The parish leader, Martha Atono, stated that the bank paid her twice without their knowledge and that they only found out about it a day after the lady was given money.
“Her names did not match those on the national identification card, so the bank paid her thinking they were paying different people, but it was noticed once they returned and we were informed,” Atono said at a consultative meeting called by Hellen Adoa, the state minister for fisheries and the woman MP.
The minister went on a fact-finding expedition to learn more about the program’s progress.
“Her names did not match those on the national identification card, so the bank paid her thinking they were paying different people, but it was noticed once they returned and we were informed,” Atono said at a consultative meeting called by Hellen Adoa, the state minister for fisheries and the woman MP.
The minister went on a fact-finding expedition to learn more about the program’s progress.
When they phoned Asio to return the money, she opted to turn off her phone and has since vanished from the town, according to Atono.
“Our efforts to locate her have been futile since last week, but we have not given up,” Atono informed the minister.
Against this backdrop, the minister directed the police to arrest Asio for accepting money that was not intended for her.
“It appears she intended it because she had to turn off her phone?” Let the parish chief report this to you, and then you start looking for her,” the minister instructed the police.
The minister was also astounded to learn that the chairperson of Agule-Bugondo PDM Sacco, Joseph Felix Emasu, collected nearly shs1.4m from 104 Sacco members for photocopying the appropriate paperwork.
During the same meeting, the minister also ordered a return of money to the inhabitants of Agule parish, who had been charged $12,000 apiece by their Sacco chairman.
Joseph Felix Emasu was accused of taking money from beneficiaries under the pretense of duplicating documents required by the bank.
“We agreed as members of the Sacco to pay Shs12,000 each to facilitate my travel to Soroti,” Emasu explained when questioned by the minister how they arrived at each member paying Shs12,000
The commercial officer, James Ebwoku, stated that the fee was excessive, claiming that photocopying and purchasing files would cost each individual shs4,100.
“It was not the district that authorized them to charge their members sh12,000, so that payment was excessive because photocopying all the required documents only costs shs4,100,” Ebwoku explained.
The minister immediately directed Emasu to restore the amount within a week and advised the Sacco leaders not to extort money from the people they lead.
“You deserve to be arrested for extortion, but I order you to pay the money back to the beneficiaries by Thursday,” Adoa said.
Emasu agreed to repay the funds. “I’m sorry for what I did, and I promise not to do it again,” Ado stated.
Adoa assured those who have yet to receive payments that the second phase of funding is on its way.
The area features 77 Saccos that deal with various businesses. According to Ebwoku, the first phase of resources got shs108m.
Last month, the minister ordered the arrest of parish heads in Kateta sub-county for extortion and payment to those who were not supposed to gain.
The investigation is still ongoing.
