Residents of Namwenula ward in Bumbo town council, Namisindwa district, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the alleged inclusion of Kenyan nationals in the Parish Development Model (PDM) list. Bumbo town council is situated along the Uganda-Kenya border.
Moses Situma, the Namwenula ward PDM chairperson, has been accused of registering Kenyan beneficiaries at the expense of native Ugandans. According to concerned resident Joshua Watenyeli, Situma included 15 Kenyan individuals out of 87 beneficiaries in phase II of the program, which appears to go against program guidelines.
The local residents initially sought the intervention of their Member of Parliament, John Musila, but the situation escalated when Situma arrived, nearly leading to a violent confrontation.
Peter Busawule and Martine Sitsangi, both members of the community, are calling for PDM officials to reconsider the beneficiary list. They allege that Kenyan individuals paid Situma amounts ranging from UGX 100,000 to 500,000 to secure their inclusion.
Situma has refuted these allegations, stating that the individuals he registered are Ugandans by birth who had temporarily crossed into Kenya for trade.
Member of Parliament John Musila, representing the Bubulo East constituency, has criticized Situma’s actions and called for an investigation by the RDC office and the police. Julie Namara, the Deputy Namisindwa Resident District Commissioner, confirmed the incident and emphasized that the PDM program is intended exclusively for Ugandans.
She expressed concerns about the message sent by prioritizing Kenyan residents over native Ugandans. Last week, Imran Mulunga, the Namisindwa Resident District Commissioner, instructed all parish chiefs and PDM chairpersons to refund any money they received from beneficiaries unless they wished to face arrest.
