Leaders in Mubende District have intensified oversight of government programmes following President Museveni's directive to Members of Parliament and local leaders to closely monitor public projects and government funds.
The heightened scrutiny follows the discovery that Shs182 million allocated to beneficiaries under the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Buweekula South had not been disbursed despite being released by the government last year.
A team led by Buweekula South MP Dedan Mubangizi, Mubende District Chairperson Michael Muhereza Ntambi and local government leaders launched an inspection of PDM implementation across the constituency to establish the cause of the delay.
Speaking during the exercise, Mubangizi warned against the misuse of public resources, saying the government would not tolerate corruption or negligence in the implementation of poverty alleviation programmes.
"This time there will be no games. Anyone who tampers with government money will be arrested and prosecuted," Mubangizi said.
During the inspection in Kayebe Sub-county, leaders were informed by officials of the Kiryamenvu Parish PDM SACCO that beneficiaries were yet to receive funds that had been released in the previous financial year.
Kiryamenvu Parish PDM SACCO Chairperson Vare Kamugisha attributed the delay to challenges encountered during beneficiary verification and registration.
"Some residents do not have national identity cards, while others have phone numbers that do not correspond with the details on their National IDs, making it difficult to process payments," Kamugisha explained.
Residents, however, raised concerns over allegations of extortion by some village chairpersons, claiming applicants were being asked to pay Shs10,000 before receiving recommendation letters required to access the PDM funds.
"If you don't have Shs10,000, you cannot get a recommendation letter," some residents alleged.
In response, Mubangizi condemned the alleged practice, describing it as illegal and urging local leaders to stop exploiting residents seeking to benefit from government programmes.
Some village leaders defended themselves, arguing that they receive no facilitation to carry out administrative duties and had resorted to requesting small contributions from applicants to meet operational expenses.
Mubende District Chairperson Michael Muhereza Ntambi directed all responsible officials to ensure that the delayed funds are disbursed within 14 days.
"Those responsible have been given 14 days to ensure that all beneficiaries receive their money," Ntambi said.
Mubangizi backed the directive, warning that disciplinary and legal action would be taken against any official who fails to comply.
Residents welcomed the intervention, expressing optimism that increased monitoring by political and administrative leaders would improve transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Parish Development Model.
The Parish Development Model is the government's flagship programme aimed at moving households from subsistence to the money economy by channeling development funds directly to parish-level SACCOs for investment in income-generating activities.
