Butambala mother’s life transformed by sh1m PDM boost

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When Rashida Namubiru received a mobile money alert confirming she had received sh1 million under the Parish Development Model (PDM), she was overcome with disbelief. The Butambala district resident could not believe her fortunes had changed.

“I started crying. That was the first time I felt truly seen by my country,” she said.

President Yoweri Museveni, currently on a nationwide tour assessing the impact of the PDM, visited her home in Kasaka village, Gombe ward, where he commended her entrepreneurial journey as a symbol of the programme’s potential.

Namubiru, a mother of eight children, six of her own and two of her late sister’s, said she had previously struggled with even the most basic financial emergencies.

“Before the Parish Development Model, life was extremely difficult. If I had a problem of sh100,000, I couldn’t solve it. That’s how helpless I was,” she said.

It was during a sensitisation session by parish chiefs that she first heard about the PDM initiative, aimed at shifting Ugandans from subsistence to market-oriented farming. While some villagers were sceptical, Namubiru took interest, formed a group with fellow residents and followed through with the training and application process.

Her group, the Kasaka Goat Rearing Group, eventually received funding, and Namubiru used her share to buy three female goats and one male, spending sh900,000. The remainder went into constructing a temporary shelter for the animals.

“I had no background in goat rearing, but I started doing research, asking questions, and learning every day. I knew this was my chance,” she said.

Within five months, the three female goats had each produced three kids. Her herd grew, and with advice from veterinary officers, she sold two young goats for sh100,000 to finance a permanent shelter.

She didn’t stop there. Manure from her growing herd helped revitalise her coffee and banana plantations. Her seasonal coffee earnings jumped from sh500,000 to sh1.7 million.

“With that money, I bought a cow. And with the remaining sh700,000, I did something that had haunted me for years. I took my son back to school. He had stopped at Senior Four because we had no money. Now he’s studying a course at Namasuba College of Commerce,” she shared.

Namubiru now owns eight goats, a cow, and a productive farm, all sustained through the initial sh1 million boost.

“I want to be a model farmer. I want people to come and learn from me. I haven’t sold my goats because I want to multiply them. This is only the beginning.”

To critics who associate PDM with political partisanship, she had a clear message:

“This money is not for NRM or any political group. It is for all Ugandans: Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, people of every tribe, every religion. Anyone who thinks otherwise will be left behind while we are moving forward.”

President Museveni, impressed by her transformation, pledged additional support, promising land and a tuk-tuk worth sh12 million to help with transportation.

“She has gotten the courage to develop. I will ask my people and buy her more acres of land,” the President said.

He told Butambala residents that the PDM is designed to empower Ugandans at the household level, with government injecting sh100 million into each parish annually.

“This money is not for the government, it is yours. Use that money, and after 24 months, return it to your SACCO so that others can borrow.”

He further noted that he had rejected bank charges on PDM funds to ensure each beneficiary receives the full sh1 million.

“The government will cater for those charges. All PDM beneficiaries must get sh1 million.”

Tracing his war on poverty back to the 1960s, President Museveni highlighted the consistency of government wealth creation initiatives such as Entandikwa, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga, and now PDM.

“Even one acre can employ up to 15 people. Uganda has 40 million acres suitable for agriculture. If we use just 7 million effectively, we can create 105 million jobs, more than double of Uganda’s population.”

The President concluded with optimism, praising the growing culture of self-reliance.

“Let no one misuse this PDM money, it is a treasure for your future. Fight poverty and create wealth. The time is now.”

Also in attendance were government chief whip Denis Hamson Obua, investment and privatisation state minister Evelyn Anite, and State House Comptroller Jane Barekye.