President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stern warning to parish and sub-county chiefs in the Bukedi Sub-region, who sideline the youth, women, or persons with disabilities from benefiting from the Parish Development Model (PDM) to face dismissal.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Pallisa District the President, said his government will not tolerate misuse or misallocation of funds meant for specific groups under the PDM. He set out how PDM allocations should be divided and placed responsibility squarely on local leaders to ensure transparent distribution.
“Within the 100 million shillings per parish, 30% belongs to the youth, 30% to the women, and 10% to the disabled. So, I don’t want to hear that story again,” Museveni said.
“If I hear that the youth, the women, or the disabled are not getting their share, I will go for the parish chief first, and I will dismiss them, plus the sub-county chiefs,” he added.
The President’s warning comes amid growing public scrutiny over the implementation of the PDM, a flagship wealth creation and poverty reduction initiative launched in 2022, following reports of mismanagement, favoritism, and delays in disbursement across some parishes.
President Museveni underscored that local leaders bear the greatest responsibility in ensuring transparent and fair distribution of government funds, emphasizing that the success of PDM depends on honest administration at the parish level.
“Let everybody get their share. But also, you, the youth, should join the SACCOs. Go to the Muluka chief and ask them to join the parish SACCOs. Nobody will stop you as long as you’re over 18 years old,” he told the cheering crowd.
The Parish Development Model provides each parish with Shs. 100 million in seed capital to support household enterprises, savingscooperatives, and agricultural productivity.
President Museveni reiterated that these resources were designed to transition rural communities from subsistence to commercial production.
According to official statistics presented at the rally, Pallisa District—with 90 parishes—has so far received Shs. 27.7 billion under the program, with about 98.2% of the funds disbursed to 27,343 beneficiary households. This accounts for 45% of the district’s total 60,882 households, leaving 55% yet to benefit.
“We have been pleading with Ugandans to get out of poverty since 1986. Some ignored the message, but others listened, and they are now prosperous.”
“We are going to add 15 million shillings for local leaders and create special funds for church and mosque leaders, as well as cultural institutions,” he said.
“We shall also start a fund for fishermen, zone by zone, because they need more than one million to buy boats and nets. For university graduates without jobs for two years, we shall also create a fund.”
Addressing the region’s natural resources, President Museveni encouraged residents of Bukedi to exploit their swampy areas for fish farming instead of depending solely on rice cultivation.
“You, the Bukedi people, are blessed with swamps. Fish farming is very lucrative. In my Lira farm, the fish ponds yield 100 million shillings per year. In Limoto here, farmers are getting 56 million per acre-more than what they earned from rice,” he said.
President Museveni said while Pallisa District has made progress in expanding access to education, with 76 government and 160 private primary schools, and 9 government and 23 private secondary schools, some parishes and sub-counties still lack institutions.
“Our policy is one government primary school per parish and one secondary school per sub-county. Those that lack will be prioritized,” he said.
The President pledged to build health centre II in every parish, a health centre III in every sub-county, and a district hospital,” President Museveni said.
Planned upgrades include turning Obutete, Kaukura, and Limoto Health Centre IIs into Health Centre IIIs, and constructing new facilities in Kamuge Rural, Agule Rural, and Oboliso Sub-counties.
The Speaker of Parliament and NRM Second National Vice Chairperson, Rt. Hon. Anita Among, praised the NRM government for transforming the region’s infrastructure.
“Especially the road from Tirinyi to Pallisa up to Kumi—now we have the best road in eastern Uganda,” she said.
The Speaker also commended President Museveni for “defending Uganda’s traditional values” and for “bringing money to the people.”
The NRM Vice Chairperson for Eastern Region, Mr. Calvin Echodu, said the massive turnout in Pallisa reflected public confidence in the President’s leadership.
“It’s a testament to how the people of Bukedi believe in what you and the NRM have done,” he said.
Hon. Derrick Orone, Gogonya County MP and NRM District Chairperson for Pallisa, presented seven key requests from the people of Pallisa. These included the elevation of Pallisa General Hospital to referral status, more technical schools, and political appointments for local NRM cadres.
“We shall give you above 90% in the upcoming election,” Hon. Orone said, drawing cheers from the crowd.