The Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt.Hon. Robinah Nabbanja has called on religious leaders from Bukedi North to monitor, the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM).
‘’Religious leaders, we have a lot of trust in you, help us to monitor, give us the information, make sure this money goes to the intended beneficiaries, ensure that this money is not diverted. This money is not free money,’’ Nabbanja said.
She said religious leaders should join the struggle and ensure that the money is not diverted.
The Prime minister made this call last evening while meeting a section of religious leaders and cultural leaders at maple cottages Hotel Kamonkoli.
Nabbanja will today Friday 18th Feb 2022 be traversing the districts of Budaka, bButebo, Pallisa and Kibuku pre-launching the PDM programme, urged the religious leaders to use their pulpit to sensitize and mobilize masses to embrace the programme tailored to change the standard of living for many poverty-stricken Ugandans.
She told religious leaders that Churches depend on offertory, but if people are poor the church or mosque can’t develop, so there’s a need to work together for the success of the programme.
Nabbanja who says she knows the region having served as deputy RDC Pallisa in 2001 advised locals to stop growing low-value crops like cotton, maize sugarcane but rather diversify to poultry, piggery and practice zero grazing.
The PM noted that the region is punctuated with swamps suitable for smart agriculture like fish farming which fetches more income compared to rice growing.
However, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the PDM still has some gaps ahead of its grand launch in Kibuku on 26th Feb 2022 by the President.
According to the PM despite all the efforts some districts have not recruited all the required number of parish chiefs yet they are engines for the programme, some districts have not formed parish SACCOs, nor trained their members.
She revealed that the government has already disbursed 17 million shillings per parish across the entire districts with women, youth taking 30%, whereas PWDs, Elderly 10% and the 20% is for men aged 35 years above.
