President Museveni has ordered local government minister Raphael Magyezi to investigate alleged cases of extortion in the allocation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds in Kiryandongo district.
Addressing a campaign rally at Karagalya grounds in Kyankende Sub-County in Kiryandongo district on Wednesday, Museveni said his office had received complaints of extortion and diversion of PDM funds by the implementers.
He says, many of the officials are extorting money from those intending to benefit from the PDM program, saying his office will not tolerate the habit.
Museveni urged the beneficiaries and the leaders to closely monitor the implementation of the PDM funds and report all those diverting the money.
The Presidential candidate asked people of Kiryandongo to embrace commercial agriculture as a pathway to prosperity and poverty eradication.
He said that the country and Ugandans cannot achieve socio-economic transformation while most citizens remain stuck in subsistence farming.
He also asked them to embrace the four-acre model farming method, which he said will unlock economic opportunities and ensure sustainable livelihoods for communities across Uganda.
Museveni explained that the four-acre model is very crucial since it advocates for land diversification. he advised that an acre of land should be allocated to coffee cultivation, another to fruit trees, the third to staple crops for household consumption, and the fourth to pasture for livestock.
Museveni explains that this farming model will also allow farmers to engage in poultry, piggery, and fish farming in ponds, boosting household incomes and lifting families out of poverty in a short period.
Museveni also appealed to the people of Kiryandongo to embrace wealth creation programs established by the government to eradicate poverty from their households.
He says that wealth creation is very crucial in driving Uganda’s development, and therefore, all Ugandans must support all the wealth creation programs being initiated by the government, including Emyooga, Youth Livelihood (YLP), NAADs, PDM, and UWEP, among others.
Museveni has further directed the Prime Minister of Uganda to ensure that Kiryandongo district is connected to the national grid after he had been told that most busy townships, including Bweyale, have no electricity, yet they have small-scale industries that require electricity to run them.
Linox Ngompek, the NRM Chairperson for Kiryandongo, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Kibanda North, informed the President that the lack of electricity connectivity is negatively hindering development and businesses in the area and appealed to the Ministry of Energy to connect Kiryandongo to the national grid.
Ngompek further appealed to the President to elevate the Bweyale town council to a municipality status, given the rapid population growth and development in the area.
Sheik Abudallah Bwayo, the District Kadhi for Kiryandongo, appealed to the President to offer ministerial positions to MPs and other residents from Kiryandongo, saying residents in the district have been supporting NRM for the past 40 years, but no one from the district has been appointed a minister.
Robinah Nabbanja, the Prime Minister of Uganda, applauded the President and the NRM government for fostering peace and tranquility that Ugandans continue to enjoy.
She further asked the people of Kiryandongo and Bunyoro at large to vote and support NRM, saying the region has benefited a lot under the regime.
Museveni, who is on his campaign trail in the Bunyoro sub-region, will address rallies in Buliisa and Hoima city, respectively.
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