MASAKA, NYENDO – The Minister of State for Local Government, Hon. Justine Nameere Nsubuga, has ordered fresh elections for the Nyendo Ward PDM SACCO Vetting Committee after community members overwhelmingly rejected the existing committee during a meeting held in Nyendo Mukungwe Division.
The meeting, convened to elect the SACCO leadership, turned contentious as residents raised concerns over the credibility of the vetting committee. Following the complaints, Hon. Nameere directed that a new vetting committee be elected to restore transparency and public confidence in the Parish Development Model (PDM) implementation process.
The Minister also faulted the Masaka City Commercial Officer and the Nyendo Mukungwe Division Commercial Officer over the manner in which the vetting committee had been constituted. She ordered the two officials to report to the police, where a general inquiry file will be opened to investigate the selection process of the committee members.
Addressing the gathering, Hon. Nameere said that one of the biggest challenges affecting the implementation of the Parish Development Model is the flawed selection of beneficiaries. She noted that in some instances, funds have been allocated to households that do not qualify, including farmers with large coffee plantations, instead of the intended vulnerable beneficiaries.
To strengthen the implementation of the program, the Minister directed the Nyendo Mukungwe Division leadership to allocate resources within its budget to facilitate the mobilization efforts of PDM SACCO leaders. She explained that this directive is in line with a circular previously issued by the PDM Secretariat, which guided accounting officers to support such activities.
Hon. Nameere further instructed that the remaining Shs53 million on the Nyendo Ward PDM SACCO account should only be disbursed after a thorough verification of the selected beneficiaries to ensure that only eligible households receive the funds.
In a further crackdown on alleged corruption, the Minister ordered the arrest of Bbaale Ronald and Lukwago Moses, who were accused by community members of extorting Shs200,000 from individuals seeking to benefit from the PDM program. She directed security agencies to investigate the allegations and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
