The Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has urged Mityana District residents to embrace government’s poverty alleviation programme, dubbed Parish Development Model (PDM).
Nabakooba who was traversing Mityana district sub-counties on March 2 told residents that participating in the programme would help them improve their livelihoods which is one of the government’s main goals.
“I urge you residents of Mityana to actively participate in the Parish Development Model programme. The money government has put in the programme is meant to help fight poverty among yourselves. This money is yours. Please participate by making sure you register with the constituted parish saccos,” she told the residents.
The sub-counties Nabakooba traversed include: Banda sub-county, Kakindu sub-county and Ssekanyonyi sub-county.
She also urged the residents to be transparent and use the money from PDM productively to uplift themselves from poverty. She told the residents more money would be remitted to the district if what has been given to them is put to good use.
In his remarks, Mr Emmanuel Zirabamuzale, the district PDM focal person revealed that 75 saccos had been created in different parishes in the district in an effort to implement the programme.
He explained that beneficiaries of the programme will be required to engage in economic activities such as coffee farming, cattle and chicken raring.
Zirabamuzaale noted that the created saccos are required to have at least 11 enterprise groups with a membership of up to 15 members.
Besides creating saccos, he told Nabakooba there had been efforts to sensitise and train PDM leaders in different sub-counties in the district, and committees to govern the saccos had also been created for effectiveness.
Mityana district Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Africano Alikundira, said the district had received money from Government to a tune of sh2.64b billion for the programme.
Alikundira, who also revealed that Mityana district had been listed among the best performing districts in regards to implementation of PDM, said the programme is facing challenges such as resistance from some opposition politicians who he said are decampaigning the programme saying it would yield nothing.
“Hon. Minister, I would like to inform you that one of the challenges we are currently facing is the political leaders most especially from the opposition who are opposing the programme saying it will yield nothing,” the RDC said.
Nabakooba on the other hand urged the residents not to listen to what some political leaders are saying about the programme contrary to the Government stand.
Alikundira also said the programme is faced with a challenge of operational funding which has led to stalling of the implementation.
“Government officials need to constantly sensitise people about the PDM, the only challenge is that there is no money to do this because there is no operational funding from the government,” he said.
According to Alikundira, the three sub-counties the minister visited have so far received sh25 and sh7m meant for the implantation of the PDM.
The PDM is a Government poverty alleviation programme aiming at transforming the lives of the 39% of Ugandans living below the poverty line.
The programme is premised on the model that parish development committees together with common citizens as the end user of the social services are better placed to identify and respond to their own needs, priorities, and direct use of resources.