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The Government has procured 163 laptops for all the chief administrative officers (CAOs) and town clerks to revolutionise data collection from the beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) programme.

Information minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi launched the handover of the laptops to his local government counterpart, Raphael Magyezi, on Tuesday (May 14) in Kampala.

Baryomunsi, who did not reveal the cost of the laptops, said they (laptops) will also be used to track progress and ensure accountability from the beneficiaries of the PDM funds.

“As the Government of Uganda, we are confident that we shall achieve remarkable results,” he added.

The Government has procured 163 laptops for all the chief administrative officers (CAOs) and town clerks to revolutionise data collection. (Courtesy photo)

Magyezi later told New Vision Online in an interview that the laptops will cover all the districts and cities plus some municipalities to enable the CAOs and town clerks to track and monitor the disbursement of the PDM money.

He also said the portable computers will also enable the CAOs and town clerks to keep in touch with the parish chiefs, get reports from the field and forward them to the centre, among other things.

“So, today’s (Tuesday’s) function was to receive the laptops from the ministry of ICT and then on Friday (May 17) we hand them over to the CAOs and town clerks at Hotel Africana during the meeting,” he said.

Magyezi noted that the laptops have come in handy when they are going to the next phase of utilisation of the PDM money.

“First, we had the challenge of getting the PDM money to the beneficiaries, but now it has got there. So, we want to see now what they are using it for. Is the money going into the enterprises or not? So, the CAOs will use these laptops to also monitor the utilization of this money,” he added.

On March 20, 2024, the finance ministry said a total of 10,594 savings and credit co-operative organisations (SACCOs) had received shillings 100 million each for PDM to enable them work and join the money economy.

“The ministry of finance released 100% of the budgeted amount of shillings 1,059.4 billion meant for 10,594 SACCOs. The Auditor General also confirmed that 10,584 SACCOs received shillings 100 million each,” the ministry said on its X, formerly Twitter, handle.