By our reporter
KIRYANDONGO: Members of Parish Development Program -PDM SACCOs in Kiryandongo have received money as government rolls out the implementation of the program in the country.
This was during the launch of the parish revolving fund loan cash give out in the district held at Bweyale town council on Wednesday.
The event was presided over by the minister for Bunyoro affairs Jenipher Namuyangu and added by the members of PDM SACCO members.
During the event Kaduku parish PDM SACCO in Masindi Port Sub County and Bweyale Central PDM SACCO in Bweyale town council received 25 million shillings each.
Selected members of the two SACCOs received 1 million shillings cash from Post Bank that they are supposed to invest in their businesses and pay it back in a one year period with 6 percent interest.
Speaking during the event, Minister Namuyangu warned the beneficiaries against spending the money on celebrating the festive season or marrying more women instead of the intended purpose.
Minister Namuyangu explained that the money is meant to boost the beneficiaries’ businesses in order to increase their incomes to enable all Ugandans to join the money economy.
The Minister ordered the leaders to monitor the beneficiaries to ensure they are putting the money to the intended purpose, warning those who will misuse the money will be arrested.
Speaking during the event, Isa Hassan Byenkya, the Kiryandongo district production officer who is also the district PDM focal person revealed that the district has so far received 1.3 billion shillings for the 500 PDM SACCOs.
However Byenkya cited inadequacy of the agricultural extension staff as the major challenge to PDM in the district. He explained that the district has only 33 extension staff who cannot effectively serve the 500 PDM SACCOs in the district and he appealed to the government to recruit more staff to enable effective implementation of the program in the district.
Byenkya also complained of the absence of ICT gadgets necessary in PDM operations that are computerised.
Irene Apio from Bweyale Central, one of the beneficiaries who received the money promised to invest the money in her dairy project so that she can earn more from it.
Apio hailed the government for the initiative that she said will help her to increase her household income revealing she had for long lacked the capital to boost her project.
