Agency
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday clarified on the Parish Development Model (PDM) strategy, saying that the government program is aimed at supporting people in parishes to start money-making projects that will grow gradually, usher them into the money economy and fight poverty.
The President made the clarification while at the home of Ms. Doreen Yapsiwa, one of the PDM beneficiaries in Kabukole village,Kobil parish, Kawowo sub- County, Tingey county in Kapchorwa district.
President Museveni who is currently on a wealth creation and PDM performance assessment tour in Sebei Sub-Region, highly praised Ms. Yapsiwa for embracing the government’s call to utilize the PDM funds to create wealth.
“I am very happy to visit our granddaughter and I am happy to see that she has woken up and engaged in wealth creation. She got a cow using PDM money. Before that she had a banana plantation and 500 trees of coffee all on one acre, now that is very good,” the President appreciated.
“So this is the whole strategy. Small, but not too small but small enough to start.”
Additionally, the President cautioned the locals against borrowing money from money lenders and commercial banks, describing the action as being ‘toxic’.
He encouraged them to utilize their parish banks in the form of the PDM SACCOs.
“Don’t get money from money lenders or even commercial Banks because there is a parish bank for you. We shall be putting Shs100 million each year and in 5 years it will be Shs.500 million and in the third year the one who got money first will pay back, so you now get an additional Shs.100 million,” he explained.
President Museveni also disclosed that there is a possibility of changing the PDM rules, where once everybody in the parish has paid back, the amount to be borrowed can be raised to more than Shs1 million.
