Two under investigation over PDM funds as ARDC Otuke Opio Opeo mounts pressure

The parish development model is the talk of the country at the moment and if there is any development initiative geared towards poverty alleviation and enhanced economic levels of Ugandans that the NRM government prides itself in,then it is the PDM thanks to the collosal sum of money it has sunk into this project that sees every parish receive shillings 100m.

However the programme has been dogged by allegations of mushrooming corruption some.of which have been proven to be true where local leaders conive and fleece on the beneficiaries money,for instance where a household should receive shillings 1m ,some have only ended up with only shillings 800Ugx

In Otuke district ,the leaders are not relenting on the fight against graft in PDM and have mounted a spirited fight to ensure that yhe culprits are apprehended.

"Otuke district is the residence of president Museveni and the president loves you ,that is why when he appointed me Assistant Resident District Commisioner Amuru,i only served for two months and I was immediately enrolled for a leadership course at the National Leadership Training Institute Kyankwanyi and he transferred me to Otuke to tackle among others issues of wet land encroachment and environmental degradation as well as shear nut trees conservation which is intandem with Executive Order No.3 of 2023 issued by president Museveni" ARDC Otuke Opio Opeo told a gathering in Orum sub- county.

This was during a community Baraza in Abongorwot parish,Orumu subcounty to rally the locals to resist the urge and equally lose the appetite of giving bribes to leaders in a bid to access PDM funds.

The Parish Development Model is a Government strategy or approach for organizing and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level as the lowest economic planning unit. This will ensure support for more Ugandans to increase their demand for goods and services.

Flanked by the local police leaders and the district Internal security office among others Opio revealed that they have received numerous complaints from the community on local leaders who ask them for bribes before accessing funds.

He then disclosed that he has so far ordered for the investigations and arrest of Awio Daniel the  secretary Abongo SACCO, and the former parish chief of Abongo Rwot now transferred to Ogor Sub county and habitual calprit ,Jones Opio,the  chairperson Abongo Rwot  after a group of six women complained to the higher authority.

According to Opio,he took time and studied the PDM issues in the district and was further furnished with the status report on the programme by the Chief Administrative Officer and he now has facts."

But I don't want to do postmortem,when you are being asked for money you don't report but when you fail to get the money is when you now run to us" Opio asserted as he cautioned the community against giving bribes to local leaders.

He challenged the police to act swiftly on anybody suspected of tampering with PDM funds and said such acts is not far from touching a sleeping Leopard.