Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) yesterday 29th October 2026 convened stakeholders in a validation meeting for the First Draft Report on the Gender Audit of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Karamoja.
The meeting, held under the theme “Draft for Validation”, brought together gender experts, development partners, and government representatives to scrutinize findings on how gender-responsive the PDM implementation has been in the Karamoja sub-region.
The PDM Secretariat was represented by the Deputy National Coordinator, Hon. Bonnie Kiconco Kashaija Mutungi.
The audit, commissioned by FOWODE, assesses women’s access, participation, leadership and benefit across the seven pillars of the PDM, with a special focus on Karamoja where gender inequalities remain most pronounced.
Speaking at the validation, Hon. Bonnie Kiconco commended FOWODE for undertaking the critical audit, noting that the PDM was designed to move 39% of Ugandan households from subsistence to the money economy and cannot succeed if women are left behind.
She noted that government welcomes independent accountability, and that the Secretariat will study the findings of the first draft to address identified gaps, particularly around financial inclusion, enterprise selection and women’s representation in PDM leadership structures at parish level.
Hon. Kiconco reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to ensuring that the PDM remains inclusive and delivers for all Ugandans.
The First Draft Report is currently under validation by stakeholders before final publication.
