Ugandans who misuse the Shs. 1 million Parish Development Model (PDM) fund will be arrested and work without pay in government prisons, according to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
“We shall arrest those who just eat PDM money and pay through labor while in prison. In the prisons, they have a lot of work to cultivate maize, cotton and other crops, so those who get PDM money and eat it will work there without pay,” H.E Museveni said.
The President revealed this on Thursday, February 27, 2025, during an interaction with journalists from the Ankole subregion held at his country home in Rwakitura.
During the media briefing, journalists informed President Museveni that whereas he is visiting farmers to appreciate the impact of the PDM program, many who receive the money use it to buy foodstuffs, while some use it to pay school fees.
The government, through the PDM extends Shs. 100 million each financial year to 100 beneficiaries (households) in each parish through their SACCOs.
According to the President, who is currently on a performance assessment tour on wealth creation and the Parish Development Model in the Ankole subregion, perpetrators will be required to work for at least ten months (Shs. 100,000 per month) until the Shs1 million is recovered.
Regarding theft, President Museveni said they are in touch with the judiciary to ensure those involved in stealing items such as cows, goats, pigs, and the produce of PDM beneficiaries are not given bail or released on police bond.
“Very soon I will issue that executive order. We are in touch with the judiciary about this,” President Museveni said.
The President was also surprised to learn that some commercial officers were extorting money from the beneficiaries, saying they should be arrested.
“The parish SACCOs, through their leadership, are responsible for their money. They are the ones to decide who should get the money and to also ensure that all the homesteads in the parish access this money,” he emphasized.
Regarding the excess production of items such as eggs, President Museveni re-echoed that the government would establish factories to add value to eggs like it was done to other items like milk.
“When Ugandans started producing milk, we discovered that the internal market was insufficient. Milk production rose from 200 million liters a year to now 5.3 billion, yet Ugandans consume only 800 million. We decided to add value, and now we export powdered milk,” he stated.
President Museveni also pledged Shs 100 million to capitalize the Mbarara Journalists’ SACCO and a 36-seater coaster bus to aid their operations.
