The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum district is on the spot for spending 200 million Shillings more for training stakeholders under the Parish Development Model-PDM, in violation of the guidelines.
The Parish Developement Model is a government multi-sectoral program aimed at improving the livelihoods of Ugandans, especially the 39 per cent living a substance lifestyle by upgrading them from subsistence economy to commercial production.
Parliament appropriated 200 billion Shillings for the new project in the 2022/2023 financial year, out of which Kitgum district was given an Indicative Planning Figure of 1.2 billion Shillings. The funds were to cater for staff costs at 197 million Shillings, revolving funds (Saccos) at 860 million Shillings, administration at 72 million Shillings, and gadgets and tools at 122 million Shillings.
However, Kitgum Resident District Commissioner William Komakech says that the district only received 745 million out of the 1.2 billion Shillings. He however explains that he expected the technical staff to revise the budget line but they instead drew their own guideline and spent more than half of the 745 million on training and allowances.
According to the district workplan, 208 million Shillings was sent to the accounts of the 19 sub-counties in the district. The money was allocated to facilitate the sensitization of stakeholders including health centres in-charge, head teachers, health assistants, OC stations, NRM chairpersons, women, youth, and elderly council executives and sub-county chairpersons.
Another 33 million Shillings was sent to the sub-counties for training technical staff, meaning the sub-counties used over 240 million Shillings for training and sensitization. Each of the sub-counties got at least 10 million Shillings. Only Labongo Layamo sub-county got the least amount, 9.6 million Shillings.
According to Komakech, the collective guideline stipulated that each district spends only 92 million Shillings for training and sensitization. However, Kitgum spent 292.6 million Shillings, an excess of 200 million Shillings above the ceiling.
Komakech added that the only money that was correctly spent was on recruitment and for parish Sacco’s at 52.5 million Shillings, but the rest was used for training, sensitization and data collection.
Komakech said he has therefore ordered the CAO, Joel Musisi, to recover all the money that was sent to the sub-county accounts for training within one month so that it is taken to the SACCOs as revolving funds.
Attempts to get a comment from Joel Musisi, the CAO of Kitgum district failed as he said he was busy and would call our reporter. The government allocated 1 trillion Shillings in the 2022/23 financial year budget for its implementation, saying each parish would receive 17 million Shillings to prepare for the program, including collecting statistical data.
The PDM encompasses seven pillars that include production, infrastructure and economic services, financial inclusion, social services, community mobilization and mindset change, and data collection.
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