IGG wants PDM beneficiaries trained on business plans

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The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has called for sensitisation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) beneficiaries on the development of business plans and the proper selection of viable business enterprises.

The deputy IGG Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria after a week-long monitoring and inspection exercise of the PDM in Iganga district said the team encountered some failed enterprises due to unguided implementation.

In some areas, she observed that beneficiaries had switched from their original enterprises to other businesses where they lacked skills, causing confusion and losses.

In addition, the inspectorate wants the government to put in place mechanisms for tracking PDM funds and payments at national, district, parish, and beneficiaries as well as strengthening supervision and monitoring at all levels.

Dr. Okiria said the administrative structure under PDM should ensure that redress mechanisms are put in place to enable beneficiaries to access redress in case of any complaints.

“We have a case in point where someone found his name on the beneficiaries list but has never received any funds. We want all beneficiaries to have a remedy,” she said while addressing stakeholders at Iganga district council hall on Friday.

The meeting was attended by sub-county chiefs, parish chiefs, chairpersons of savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOS), and heads of departments.

Dr. Okiria who said the inspectorate had embarked on a countrywide monitoring of the PDM implementation, revealed that the institution had initiated investigations into disparities of funds disbursed to the various beneficiary groups.

This was after Abubaker Nyiiro, the chairman of Nakalama Parish PDM SACCOS complained that his group received only sh100 million yet others got up to sh117 million.

Robert Wekiya a local leader in the Nakalama sub-county was concerned that despite their mobilization efforts, they lacked facilitation yet they (leaders) were barred from applying for the funds.

The leaders also want the government to increase the PDM funding so that more beneficiaries are enlisted.

Dr. Okiria said the issue of facilitation for local leaders and implementers of the programme was captured in their report and shall further be discussed with the concerned ministry.

Annet Twine, the director of Project Risk, Monitoring, and Control at the IG, said there has been an outcry over extortion of funds by implementers of the PDM such as parish chiefs, diversion of funds by some beneficiaries, and irregular bank deductions from beneficiaries’ accounts.

She however noted that despite a few glitches, the programme was on course and community members were greatly excited about it.

Beneficiaries in the 12 parishes in four sub-counties of Nakalama, Nawaningi, Nakigo, and Bulamagi that were visited were involved in cattle rearing, horticulture, fish farming, coffee growing, piggery, bricklaying, and trading.

Lack of skills

The IG team among other things observed that the PDM beneficiaries lacked enough training and sensitization, and therefore had limited skills in managing the selected enterprises, citing poultry where some witnessed massive death of chicks.

Whereas the parish chiefs and town agents are mandated to monitor the programme implementation under the PDM guidelines, it was established that there was inadequate monitoring and supervision due to a lack of funding.

A total of sh 4,554,135,967 was disbursed to the district under the PDM programme, of which sh 4,483,000,000 (98.4%) has already been distributed to the 4,483 beneficiaries, according to the resident district commissioner Wandera Sadala.