A recent report from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) sheds light on glaring inequalities in the distribution of funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Uganda.
Despite Buganda having a higher number of targeted households, it received the same funds as other regions.
Only 7% of the targeted 47,065 households in Buganda accessed the funds, revealing a stark contrast with the eastern region, where 21% of the targeted 644,025 households benefited.
The Parish Development Model (PDM) aims to transition 39% of households from subsistence to a money economy by providing a revolving startup capital or a loan of Shs1m to each household.
As of September, statistics from the PDM secretariat indicate that 370,623 people have benefited, leaving nearly two million households out of the targeted three million without access to the funds.
The EOC report highlights a disbursement of Shs316b PDM funds, with the eastern region receiving the largest share at 44%, followed by the western region at 30%, Buganda at 15%, and the northern region at 12%.
The commission points out discrepancies, citing instances where regions with large populations but fewer parishes received less funding than regions with fewer people but more parishes.
The PDM national coordinator, Mr. Ssozi Galabuzi, insists that fund disbursement aligns with the number of gazetted parishes in districts.
The report also notes an uneven uptake of PDM funds among districts, with over 20 districts having fewer than 100 households benefiting from the program.
While Mr. Galabuzi disputes the commission’s statistics, stating that disbursements are updated, Nebbi Woman MP Ms. Agnes Acibu questions the figures, claiming over 3,000 households in her district have accessed PDM funds.
Mr. Silvester Nyombi, PDM secretariat spokesperson, attributes delays in the report data to challenges such as network issues and leadership problems, asserting that, as of November 10, funds had been disbursed to over 946,000 households.