Kikuube: Three Kikuube district local government officials are being held at Kikuube central police station on charges of extorting money from citizens wishing to benefit from the Parish Development Model.
The officials are Godfrey Katungi, the parish chief for Igwanjura in Kabwoya sub-county; Lawrence Baguma, the parish chief for Igwanjura in Kabwoya sub-county; the parish chief for Igwanjura in Kabwoya sub-county; and Charles Kusemererwa, the community facilitator for the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project-DR DIP in Kabwoya sub-county.
They were apprehended on the orders of the Deputy Inspector of Government-IG, Dr. Patricia Achan, at a public dialogue hosted by the Inspector General of Government-IGG at Kabwoya sub-county headquarters on Friday.
According to the villagers, officials demanded between 100,000 and 250,000 shillings from each person wishing to profit from the parish development model (PDM).
This incensed Achan, who promptly directed investigators to arrest and hold the officials.
According to Achan, the officials’ actions have impeded the implementation and progress of the PDM in the district while also tarnishing the government’s image.
Dr. Achan questioned why money should be extorted from PDM beneficiaries when the government fully supported the implementers.
Recently, numerous officials from Kagadi, Kiryandongo, Masindi, and Hoima were detained for extorting money from PDM beneficiaries.
Dr. Patricia Achan and other IGG officials are in Kikuube to monitor the implementation and progress of the district’s various government projects, which include the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DR DIP), among others.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni announced the parish development model in Kibuku District to create jobs and reduce unemployment by focusing on financial inclusion, infrastructure development, and agriculture value chain enhancement.
The PDM program is intended to give low-cost loans to recipients for long-term income-generating initiatives in their communities.
