In this article, I will show that despite the government’s initiative to increase household incomes and improve the quality of life through the Parish Development Model (PDM), the beneficiaries have been dishonest after receiving one million shillings. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the Ugandan government for directly sending PDM money to the mobile phones of the people of Karamoja without any intermediaries.
However, based on the way some beneficiaries in Karamoja are using the PDM funds, I doubt if the PDM will truly achieve its goals of improving incomes, creating jobs, increasing wealth, and improving the quality of life of the people.
This is where the concept of “dishonest beneficiaries in Karamoja” comes into play. Dishonesty begins when some beneficiaries receive the one million shillings on their mobile phones. Excitement sets in, and while spending the money, they do not follow the business plans or enterprises applied for. In fact, some people use or divert the money to other things, while others use it for consuming alcohol.
When discussing with a technical officer in Karamoja, he mentioned that,” One challenge is that some people have never handled a million shillings, so when they receive that amount, they become excited and confused. You may find some of them in bars spending the PDM money.” To verify the dishonesty among beneficiaries, I discovered during a Baraza meeting that PDM has been nicknamed “Personal Drinking Money.”
The question here is: PDM beneficiaries, do you know that you have to pay back this money? Additionally, the government has provided you with startup capital to help you escape poverty. Who will you blame for your own mistakes again? The World Bank Group (2024) described Uganda’s Parish Development Model as “an ambitious and worthwhile initiative if implemented well.”
Therefore, I appeal to government technocrats to conduct a scientific evaluation to gather empirical evidence on the impact of PDM in communities, not only in Karamoja but throughout Uganda. Otherwise, you may end up pumping billions of money into a project with minimal long-term impacts.
Ayub Mukisa (PhD)- Executive Director-Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com
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