Staff Reporter
Minister of Finance (General Duties), Henry Musasizi, has issued a stern warning to Parish chiefs and Sub-County officials against engaging in corruption during the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other government initiatives.
Musasizi’s warning comes after a series of corruption scandals involving several Parish Chiefs and Sub-County officials, some of whom have been arrested for taking bribes while managing government programs like the PDM and Emyooga.
Last month, police in Rubanda District arrested Bubare Sub-County Chief Benjamin Asiimwe, who allegedly attempted to bribe District Resident Commissioner (RDC) Eric Ssewandigi after being summoned for questioning over the embezzlement of 15 million shillings.
In July, RDC Ssewandigi also ordered the arrest of five Parish Chiefs and SACCO leaders from Ikumba Sub-County and Nshanjare Town Council for extorting between 50,000 and 100,000 shillings from PDM beneficiaries.
This isn’t the first time Minister Musasizi has addressed fraud and mismanagement allegations within the PDM. In July, while officiating the opening of the newly constructed Bulimbe Catholic Church in Ikumba Sub-County, Rubanda District, he directed district security officials to investigate claims of fraud and mismanagement in the PDM.
Musasizi highlighted that similar issues had been reported in other districts, including Bushenyi and Sembabule, and voiced concerns about beneficiaries being extorted by officials managing the program.
The government has invested trillions of shillings into the PDM, which aims to improve the livelihoods of the 39% of Ugandans still engaged in subsistence agriculture. Speaking to journalists over the weekend in Nyamweru Sub-County, Rubanda District, Minister Musasizi warned that Parish Chiefs and Sub-County officials found guilty of extortion would lose their jobs.
He further vowed that all officials involved in corruption would face legal consequences, stressing the government’s commitment to eradicating corrupt individuals. Musasizi underscored the government’s goal of transitioning Uganda from a subsistence economy to a market-driven one through poverty alleviation programs like the PDM.
