President Yoweri Museveni has promised to crack down on all those involved in messing up Parish Development Model (PDM).
This comes at the backdrop of revelations that the wealth creation programme has been mismanaged in its infant stage.
While addressing a gathering at Kaunda grounds in Gulu City on Friday as he concluded his Acholi sub region tour on investment and wealth creation, Museveni said NRM has always been in direct contact with the people and its leaders and in case they fail then the population is directly contacted to speak out.
“In case the elected local leaders are compromised, I can meet with you directly like today. Therefore, the truth will come out, that’s why I came,” the President said, adding that his visit was to check for himself by visiting farmers and the ones he saw are doing things on their own and none of them had benefited from the Parish development model.
He added that he had not seen PDM yet on the ground.
Alex Odongo Okoya, who identified himself as the chairperson of the PDM committee in one of the parishes in Gulu city, decried a team of what he called corrupt civil servants who are misleading the community about the PDM.
“In my parish where they launched PDM last week as a pilot, I have requested for two months to see the list of beneficiaries and as I speak up to now, I have not seen it because I know even landlords have benefited not the subsistence local people you’re talking of. I can swear with a Bible before you, I’m not lying your Excellency,” Okoya said.
Okoya added that civil servants in Gulu City do not want NRM cadres to be close to this (PDM) money because they will report their bad deeds to the President.
The PDM project was launched by the President in February 2022 in Kibuku District where under the programme, each parish is expected to receive Shs100 million to benefit various categories of people to eradicate poverty through the execution of development activities.