Museveni urges PDM beneficiaries to repay funds promptly

With barely a year left for the first batch of PDM beneficiaries to start repaying their loans, President Museveni has urged recipients of the Parish Development Model (PDM) to repay their loans on time to ensure the sustainability of their Parish SACCO grants.
The President made these remarks during his PDM assessment tour in the Bugisu subregion, which included spot visits to farmers in Bududa, Manafwa, and Sironko districts.
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Speaking to residents, Museveni emphasized that timely repayments would enable the revolving fund to benefit more members and protect communities from the high-interest loans offered by banks and moneylenders.
Under the program, beneficiaries are required to repay Shs 1 million, plus a minimal interest of Shs 60,000, within three years from receipt of the funds.
During the tour, the President visited John Namukhono, a beneficiary from Manafwa District’s Busituma 1 village in Makenya Subcounty, who demonstrated his progress. Namukhono used part of the Shs 1 million grant to purchase a bull at Shs 700,000 and two pigs.
He later traded the bull and one pig for an in-calf cow and has since expanded his assets.
“The remaining pig produced, and I sold five piglets at Shs 50,000 each,” Namukhono shared. He now owns a cow, a calf, a pig, and eight piglets and produces five liters of milk daily.
Impressed by Namukhono’s success, President Museveni awarded him an additional Shs 12 million to purchase two heifers and further boost his milk production.
The President urged communities to “jealously guard” their parish revolving grants and repay loans diligently to ensure continuity.
He pledged to support the SACCOs for another five years, with a goal of increasing the fund to Shs 1.6 billion per parish.
This, he noted, would empower communities to lend money among themselves at minimal interest rates, reducing reliance on exploitative lenders.
“This is your money; it will never return to the government. So don’t play around with it,” Museveni warned, emphasising that the fund’s success depends on beneficiaries’ commitment to repayments.
Local leaders praised the PDM initiative for transforming livelihoods. Manafwa Woman MP Goretti Kitutu noted that constituents now present her with gifts rather than seeking financial handouts, a shift she attributed to the success of the program.
The PDM, launched by the government to alleviate poverty and empower rural communities, continues to garner support as success stories like Namukhono’s highlight its potential to uplift households and foster financial independence.