The Government has stated that deploying operatives of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) as second-line monitors for the implementation of the Paris Development Model (PDM) will help eliminate corruption.
This was revealed by Ramathan Ggoobi, the permanent secretary and secretary to the Treasury and the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development while addressing journalists at the Ministry headquarters on December 11, 2024.
In 2022, the government undertook to implement the Parish Development Model, as the latest livelihood improvement program, targeting to take development planning and resources to the parish level to ensure that national development is fully embraced right from the grassroots.
However, as Ggoobi indicates, several issues with the program arose during the first stages of implementation as well, including the embezzlement of funds by some people.
“There are such abuses that risk undermining the significance of and success of this initiative including cases of parish chiefs registering non-existent people to steal money from real people who needed help,” Ggoobi said.
He added saying that the government intends to leverage the operation structures of ISO to stamp out corruption tendencies in the implementation of the PDM.
“The deployment of ISO operatives is a critical step in safeguarding public resources and promoting sustainable development across Uganda’s 10,594 parishes,” Ggoobi emphasized.
Security Minister Jim Muhwezi reinforced Ggoobi’s point by instructing District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) to closely monitor PDM activities and report any integrity violations by beneficiaries, including instances of bribery.
Apart from ground level monitoring, the government has also rolled out the “ZAIDI app” a simple application meant for use by ISO officers to monitor and collect data in real time.
Government believes that this will strengthen the need for accountability and a low level of interference in the turn of resources intended to be received at the source.
