Butaleja, Uganda – Police have apprehended four parish chiefs and two SACCO leaders for allegedly extorting money from beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) program.
The arrests, carried out on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, followed multiple complaints from affected residents.
The detained individuals include Abu Baker Kibirango, SACCO leader for Masanghe Parish, Nawanjofu Sub County and his vice-chairperson, Kassim Higenyi.
The two are accused of extorting over UGX 8 million from over 200 beneficiaries and subsequently deleting their names from the official PDM beneficiaries’ list.
The parish chiefs arrested are Samuel Waiyaba, Sarah Aguti, Suzan Mwebaze and Sunday Were, all implicated in similar allegations.
The arrests were ordered by Eva Kwesiga, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Butaleja, who emphasized the government’s commitment to accountability in the PDM program.
She was supported by Godfrey Nasuga, the Assistant RDC, who warned police officers against granting bail to the suspects, threatening them with job loss and possible arrest if they did so.
The suspects remain in custody at Butaleja Central Police Station, with investigations underway to ensure they are brought before the courts.
The arrests align with President Museveni’s directive during his recent PDM tours in Eastern Uganda, where he ordered stringent measures against civil servants and leaders sabotaging the program.
The President emphasized that such misconduct undermines the program’s goal of empowering Ugandan households.
Elsewhere, recently in Alebtong District, three SACCO leaders were similarly apprehended on January 2, 2025, during a community engagement led by Deputy RDC Mathias Lutwama.
The event revealed cases of extortion, with some beneficiaries reporting being forced to pay bribes of between UGX 50,000 and UGX 150,000 to access funds.
Deputy RDC Lutwama highlighted the importance of transparency, reading out a list of 199 beneficiaries who had successfully received UGX 1 million each for income-generating activities.
Residents confirmed the receipt of funds, using them for ventures such as piggery, poultry farming, and cattle rearing.
Stephen Were, the PDM focal person for Butaleja, condemned the extortion and urged politicians to stop spreading falsehoods about the program.
“Telling beneficiaries that the funds are a token of appreciation from the President is misleading and detrimental to the program’s success,” he stated.
Moses Mugwe, Bukedi South police spokesperson, confirmed the arrests and reiterated the police’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting those involved in extortion or any form of mismanagement of PDM funds.
The Parish Development Model, launched to eradicate household poverty through enterprise support, continues to face challenges of corruption and mismanagement.