Robert Atuhairwe, Resident District Commissioner, (RDC) Bushenyi, stated during an emergency meeting in Bushenyi that all services provided are free of charge to PDM recipients.
This came after he convened the emergency meeting to speak with the Ntungamo Ward SACCO, which wanted to protest the leaders, who were demanding bribes before they could let locals access the PDM funds.
Atuhairwe assured the residents of how his office had people on the ground investigating several parish chiefs and LC11 whose names had come up or were involved in extortion and bribery of the right beneficiaries.
“Everyone involved in such actions will face the long arm of the law. The programme has specific guidelines that must be followed,” Atuhairwe stated.
“All PDM services are free to everyone,” he added.
The members of the SACCO accused their leaders of asking for 5,000 shillings from each file, claiming it was for buying refreshments and 50,000 shillings to have their files stamped.
Three arrests were made during the meeting and among those were Twiine Ntegye, the LC II chairperson of Ntungamo Ward, Nyakabirizi Division in Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality; Arthur Twijukye, the Sacco treasurer of Ntungamo Ward Sacco; and Donam Nahabwe, the SACCO publicist.
A total of 1.7 billion shillings has so far been sent to Ishaka-Bushenyi Municipality to be distributed among 16 different wards under the Parish Development Model programme.