The Committee of Local Government has directed the Parish Development Model Secretariat to submit clear guidelines on repayments of funds by the beneficiaries.
The committee discovered that the majority of the beneficiaries were misled by their politicians who termed the fund as an appreciation package from the government.
The PDM, which received a substantial injection of Shs. 465 billion as a startup fund in July last year, aimed to propel 39% of Uganda's population, still trapped in the subsistence economy, into the money economy.
Under this initiative, each parish was slated to receive Shs. 100 million. However, legislators have encountered challenges in both the repayment process and accessing the funds.
Committee members expressed their concerns about the frequent changes in the guidelines, which they believe have caused confusion among the beneficiaries and might impact the program's implementation and the repayment schedule.
In response to these concerns, Denis Galabuzi Ssozi, the National Coordinator of PDM, affirmed that no new changes had been introduced to the program by the parish model secretariat overseeing its implementation.
One pressing question that arose during the committee's discussions was why the capital city, Kampala, has not received any disbursement of funds, unlike other districts.
Denis Galabuzi Ssozi, the National Coordinator of PDM, provided an explanation to committee members on this matter.
This latest development stems from the parliamentary directive for the public service and local government committee to gather PDM reports from regional parliamentary groups.
These reports will be harmonized to formulate resolutions that will be forwarded to the government for necessary action.
The current focus on establishing clear guidelines for fund repayment underscores the importance of addressing the challenges faced by PDM beneficiaries and ensuring a smooth transition of Uganda's subsistence economy into the money economy, as originally envisioned.
The future of this significant development initiative now hangs in the balance as stakeholders work toward resolving these concerns.