It seems the only thing more rampant than poverty these days is corruption, with SACCO leaders adding their names to a growing list of accused crooks.
Three leaders of the Parish Development Model (PDM) SACCOs in Namutumba district have found themselves behind bars. These stalwart custodians of public funds—Emmanuel Ngobi, Isma Kabenene, and Wilberforce Kasisa—have been remanded to Iganga Central Prison, a location that seems to be becoming increasingly popular among local SACCO leaders.
Yes, you heard it right.
These three have allegedly been involved in the noble art of extracting money from PDM beneficiaries under the pretense of expediting their fund processing. It’s like a new twist in the art of Ugandan financial management, where the latest innovation is to charge people to access their own funds.
As of now, the number of SACCO leaders facing similar charges in Namutumba has swelled to ten. Perhaps the next PDM initiative should focus on a crash course in ethics and honesty.
On August 6, 2024, the trio appeared before Iganga’s Grade One Magistrate, Yunus Ndiwalana. Their defence? A resounding denial of the charges—imagine that! According to them, the cash they collected was purely for “administrative purposes.” A creative spin, to say the least.
The charges, under sections 304 and 305 of the Penal Code Act, could land them five years of free room and board at a correctional facility. The magistrate, showing a patience that could only be described as saintly, has set the next court date for August 27, 2024. In the meantime, the accused will be spending their days pondering the finer points of prison life.
Prosecution alleges that in September 2023, these leaders, alongside others who remain at large (probably somewhere in the countryside, counting their ill-gotten gains), managed to convince several PDM beneficiaries that a little extra cash was necessary to process their funds. A scheme as transparent as a brick wall.
Mariam Natasha, the communications manager at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), has called for vigilance from the public. “Nobody is allowed to request money in exchange for PDM funds,” she proclaimed, clearly underestimating the creativity of our local fraudsters. Natasha’s advice? If someone asks for a bribe, run—not walk—to the nearest police station or SHACU office.
The PDM programme, launched by President Yoweri Museveni in February 2022, was designed to be Uganda’s silver bullet against poverty. The plan was to pull 39% of households from the subsistence economy into a more prosperous money economy. In practical terms, this meant allocating UGX 100 million to each of Uganda’s 10,594 parishes for agribusiness development. Sounds promising, right? But if this scheme is anything to go by, it seems the only thing flourishing is the growing list of those involved in the PDM cash scandal and scams.
Given the weekly arrest statistics across the country, it is safe to say that the PDM programme’s success is being sabotaged by those entrusted with its implementation. Instead of fostering economic growth, we’re witnessing a parade of SACCO leaders who seem to have mistaken their positions for personal piggy banks.
