The Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Rose Namayanja Nsereko, has urged local leaders to prioritize the monitoring of Parish Development Model (PDM) activities to ensure the programme achieves its intended objectives.
Namayanja made the remarks at Bukakala Village in Semuto Sub-county, Nakaseke District, while closing a two-day training for 250 PDM SACCO leaders and beneficiaries.
The SACCO leaders were drawn from Semuto Sub-county, while the beneficiaries came from Kirema Parish. The training was organized by the Rose Namayanja Foundation in partnership with the Uganda Development Forum.
The training equipped PDM SACCO leaders with skills in programme management, financial management and loan recovery.
Dr. Edward Katende, the Executive Director of the Uganda Development Forum, commended the Rose Namayanja Foundation for the partnership, saying the two organizations are committed to working together to fight poverty, starting with the implementation of the Parish Development Model.
Katende said the partners also plan to establish a Practical Training Centre in Kirema Parish to provide hands-on training and enterprise development skills to PDM beneficiaries before funds are injected into their businesses.
He noted that the one million shillings provided to beneficiaries can significantly transform households if recipients are equipped with the knowledge and skills to use the funds productively.
Henry Nswemu, the LC III Chairperson of Semuto Sub-county, welcomed the training, saying it had strengthened the capacity of PDM SACCO leaders to manage the programme and given communities renewed hope that the initiative can improve household livelihoods.
Nswemu said that following the end of the electoral period, the sub-county would put more effort into ensuring that funds disbursed under the programme are recovered and used for their intended purposes.
Addressing the SACCO leaders and beneficiaries, Namayanja said the training was part of the Rose Namayanja Foundation’s efforts to supplement government initiatives aimed at ensuring the success of the PDM.
She urged local leaders to prioritize monitoring the programme, describing PDM as a flagship government initiative aimed at helping households move out of poverty.
“The government is doing many things, including constructing schools, health centres and roads. But PDM is crucial in the sense that it touches on the wealth of individuals. As leaders, be part of its management to ensure it succeeds,” Namayanja said.
She also encouraged local leaders to join PDM SACCOs as members, not necessarily to access loans, but to follow up activities, participate in meetings and provide leadership.
“My husband, Hon. Charles Nsereko Basajjassubi, and I are going to join a PDM SACCO to ensure that we participate in its activities as an example to other leaders. There is no problem for leaders to attend Parish Development Committee meetings as councillors or LC III chairpersons,” Namayanja said.
Namayanja further urged PDM beneficiaries to reject extortion and report any SACCO or PDM leader who demands money in exchange for loan disbursement.
“This is kisanja no corruption. Any person who dares to ask for bribes from you, kindly report to higher authorities and we deal with him or her,” Namayanja reiterated.
She appealed to PDM SACCO leaders to ensure successful loan recovery, explaining that recovered funds do not return to the Consolidated Fund but remain within the SACCOs to benefit other members of the community.
Recently Through the Rose Namayanja Foundation, at least 90 leaders from Nakaseke South were supported to undertake a benchmarking tour in Mubende Municipality, where they observed the implementation and outcomes of PDM activities.
The Foundation also supported leaders from Nakaseke Sub-county to undertake a benchmarking visit to Jinja Prison Farm to learn how practical training centres can be established and managed in their area.
In August, the Rose Namayanja Foundation donated farm inputs worth Shs160 million to Practical Training Centres operating under the Parish Development Model in Nakaseke District.
Practical Training Centres are local, hands-on training hubs established at the farms of successful model farmers and entrepreneurs. They provide PDM beneficiaries with practical knowledge in agriculture, livestock rearing, enterprise development and household income generation.
Through the Parish Development Model, the government has disbursed Shs29 billion to 71 parishes in Nakaseke District.
