Kapelebyong district has set a deadline for responsible officers to disburse all the funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM) to the beneficiaries.

This follows the delayed disbursement of funds by many SACCOS, as highlighted by a report from the Trade Industry and Local Economic Development (TILED) department.

According to the report, around UGX 1.3 billion (23%) out of around UGX 5.5 billion received has been disbursed. It’s only Alito sub-county out of 11 lower local governments that has disbursed funds to beneficiaries fully. However, Acinga and Acowa plus Akore Town Council have not yet disbursed any funds, while others are also still struggling.

Xavior Okello, the Principal Commercial Officer, said that the responsible officers were given up to August 30, 2024, to ensure the 100 selected beneficiaries in each parish/ward receive money.

He attributed the delay in the disbursement of funds to many beneficiaries who have kept forgetting their passwords and banks’ failure to activate SACCO accounts on time.

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“Some of the officers have limited ICT skills, and some board members require training on the use of Wendi,” Okello said.

While advising the community development officers to ensure they print vouchers on time, Okello confirmed that the office of RDC was set to verify all PDM beneficiaries in the sub-counties of Okungur, Kapelebyong, and Obalanga.

“All PDCs, local council I, II and III leaders, parish chiefs, and sub-county chiefs must attend the verification meetings,” Okello said.

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The PDM is a government strategy focused on elevating the active poor from subsistence to a money economy. Each selected beneficiary receives a loan of one million shillings, which should be paid back to the SACCO by the third year of using it. The management of these funds is anchored on the SACCO boards in each parish, with the parish development committee charged with the oversight responsibility.

By Emmanuel Opio (Communication Officer for Kapeleb