OPINION: PDM BENEFICIARIES RECEIVE LESS THAN 500K AND MOST BENEFICIARIES RECEIVED VIRTUAL MONEY SINCE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR.

Opinion By: Buyela Christopher - ONC Coordinator Bugisu Region : 

Since the rollout of PDM, I have always been monitoring it keenly and realized many illegalities in its implementation.

According to the design of the model PDM had seven pillars and actually, before financial inclusion, a lot was to be done including mindset change which would help to change the attitude of people before getting money.

Most of the pillars were skipped and those responsible just went to financial inclusion, before this the first financial disbursement of at least 8m per parish was not given to people (2021) PDM funds. Many districts used this money as allowance, the state house anti-corruption unit came in and arrested a few people but were later released and peacefully retained in the same positions.

Each PDM beneficiary was to get 1m but people are being given less than 500k and the success of the model might not be achieved.

PDM is a bottom-up approach but during implementation, it changed from up to bottom like any other Government project.

I have seen how citizens suffer to even get the 500k, someone has to pay the Parish chief some bribe to be selected, has to pay kitu kidogo to the Sacco leaders, has to pay the bank tellers, and ends up taking home 200k and now you expect the model to be successful.

In districts like Sironko district and other districts in the Bugisu subregion, some people have not received the last financial year's PDM money with the excuse of being the off-agency season, but was PDM designed for only farmers?

Districts have decided to put money on fixed accounts to accumulate interest.

Even in these rainy seasons, farmers are still concerned, some citizens last received notifications on their phones of virtue money, with unclear sensitization they only gather at banks and are never bothered, conn men get a chance to rob these people because no leader bothers.

Recently the minister of local government instructed RDCs to arrest whoever authorized people to be given less than 1m but if put in action the whole system will be arrested. All the local government officials are aware of this and can't happen.

The people of Sironko are to petition the minister of local government as to why they haven't received these funds and I think it will be a whistle-blower to other quiet but deeply affected citizens, PDM is the only hope for social economic transformation but who cares, it's not dead at inception.