The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has urged residents of Mityana district to embrace the Parish Development Model (PDM) in the fight against poverty.
Nabakooba was visiting Mityana district Sub-Counties monitori
She advised the leaders to engage communities on what she termed a ‘ekibaro’ before deciding where to invest within the approved areas.
She added that PDM’s main goal is to ensure the livelihoods of Ugandans improve.
“I urge you residents of Mityana to actively participate in the Parish Development Model programme. The money Government has been put in the programme is meant to help fight poverty among people,” Nabakooba said.
She advised residents to ensure they get registered with the constituted Parish Saccos to benefit from the programme.
Nabakooba also urged the residents and district leaders to be transparent and use the money from PDM productively to uplift themselves from poverty.
The district received UGX.2.6 billion to be shared amongst 90 parishes.
Emmaniel Zirabamuzale, the District Assistant Chief Administration Officer revealed that 75 Saccos had been created in different parishes in the district in an effort to implement the programme.
“The beneficiaries of the programme will be required to engage in economic activities in areas such as coffee farming, cattle and chicken raring,” he said.
Mr. Africano Alikundira the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) confirmed to the minister that the district had received the Shs. 2.64 billion for the programme.
He also expressed concern of opposition from opposition political leaders who are decampaigning the programme.
“Hon. Minister, I would like to inform you that one of the challenges we are currently facing is the political leaders mostly from the opposition who are opposing the program saying it will yield to nothing,” the RDC stated.
During the monitoring exercise, the minister visited Sub-counties of Banda, Kakindu, and Sekanyonyi.
Alikundira informed the Minister that the visited Sub-counties so far received Shs 25 million and Shs 7 million for the implementation of the PDM.
PDM is a government multi-sectoral strategy for socio-economic transformation, aimed at moving 39% of Ugandan households in the subsistence economy to the money economy.
PDM positions the Parish as the epicenter of multi-sectoral community development, planning, implementation, supervision and accountability to drive socio-economic transformation.
PDM will create Wealth, Employment and increase Household Incomes.