Africa-Press – Uganda. Police in Tororo are holding two people on allegations of extortion and creating ghost beneficiaries of government’s Parish Development Model (PDM) programme.
The suspects detained on Friday have been identified as John Muyindi from Gwaragwara Parish in Kisoko Sub County and Joseph Opendi, the chairperson of the parish SACCO.
Tororo deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Albert Amula confirmed the arrests which followed “complaints and information linking the suspects to extortion and refusing to enroll suitable beneficiaries.”
According to him, “they discovered that the two had created a ghost list which showed some of the beneficiaries had already started receiving money.”
“While the two suspects have been arrested in connection to this case investigations are also underway into other PDM S SACCOs that allegedly favoured individuals who are already well-off, neglecting the truly needy members of the community,” Amula added, noting that the arrest of the two means at least 7 people have been arrested over related offences.
He further expressed concern over reports that some PDM officials ask SACCO beneficiaries to sign for Shs1million yet they offer only Shs600, 000.
Tororo District has about 172 SACCOs expected to benefit from the PDM financing butonly 155 were recognized.
In some areas, local leaders allege that some beneficiaries have already diverted the PDM funds which are intended for poverty alleviation into personal ventures like buying household properties.
“I understand that the money has started bring issues of domestic violence to an extent that some of the men have ended up murdering their spouses after refusing to share with them the money. This is very wrong. I therefore appeal to the leaders to sensitize the beneficiaries to understand that this money is a loan,” Tororo County South Member of Parliament Fredrick Angura noted.
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