(From L-R) Catherine Lamwaka, Okello, and Andrew Onyuk the Resident District Commissioner welcoming Minister Magyezi at the training venue. All Photos by GNNA Editor .
By Phillips Kica and GNNA Editor
Omoro
Minister of Local Government, Rafael Magyezi, has directed Omoro district Parish Development Model (PDM) coordinator to ensure Local Councils (LCs) benefit under the program in the next release of funds.
PDM is a development strategy launched in 2022 where each parish receives shs100m in every financial year. The money is given to households with each receiving shs1m. The move is aimed at uplifting households from poverty into a money economy.
According to Magyezi, the Ministry shall use Omoro district lower local council one and two chairpersons to test if the approach would yield positive results in all other districts across the country.
Omoro district has 468 and 65 Local Council one chairpersons and local council two chairpersons respectively. The LCs are meant to benefit within six months in the next financial year.
“As a government, we have relaxed the guidelines to allow the lower local council one and two chairpersons in Omoro district to be included among beneficiaries of PDM, which is geared towards the middle-income economy,” Magyezi said.
Magyezi explained the LCs have been at the forefront in signing documents and recommending the applicants for the funds, which is why the government thinks if they become beneficiaries, they will be role models in their respective communities.
Minister Magyezi made the remarks during the one-week cadre ideological training for selected local leaders across the district at Labora Youth Development Centre in Omoro.
District chair advises on proper planning
Douglas Peter Okello Okao, the Omoro district chairperson, revealed that bringing the local council chairpersons as beneficiaries of the fund and using Omoro as a pilot for other districts is an indicator that the program has already registered success in the district.
“I request the local council one and two chairpersons who are going to be used as a case study to ensure they plan well and inject the money in productive gains once received,’’ Okao said.
In the first quarter of the PDM fund, Omoro district local government received 9.9 billion shillings, and 61% of the funds have already been given out to the beneficiaries in 65 parishes within the district.
Beneficiaries laud the move
Brian Okello Geoffrey, the LC 2 chairperson of Abigeri Parish Labora sub-county, lauded the minister for his idea to consider the lower local council one and two chairpersons of Omoro district, in particular, to benefit from the fund in the next financial year.
Okello said the money will enhance and support the leaders to steer the parish group with passion, but advised them to plan how to use the money since as leaders, they are expected to be accountable and responsible.
Jimmy Okoyo Latigo, the LC 1 of Acet A cell in Odek Sub County, said being part of the beneficiaries is exciting and gives him more morale to work harder.
Okoyo hopes that the socio-economic transformation will move smoothly with the local council chairpersons included among the beneficiaries.
The government is targeting 16.1 million Ugandans, or 3.5 million households, living under a subsistence economy to benefit from PDM.
Why the training
The one-week training which ended on Friday was organized by Catherine Lamwaka, the Omoro district woman Member of Parliament, to change the mindset of the district leaders and technocrats.
The district cadre training which Magyezi described as being the first in the history of Uganda attracted more than 500 trainees who were lectured on 25 topics including gun striping, assembling, and target shooting.
Lamwaka said the training was justified by the outcomes of a recent assessment of how leaders have been handling government programs as desired.
LC’s warned on misuse of stamps
Magyezi commended the district leadership for such a training but warned the local council one chairpersons against charging locals 5,000 shillings to stamp documents.
He said he is aware that the LCs are paid a paltry 10,000 shillings per month, but they [LCs] are getting a lot of money from the locals.
“The stamp fees that you charge people are illegal. Do not think that we do not know it. We shall soon find a solution for it,” Magyezi observed.
