Parliament Starts Scrutinizing Parish Development Model Reports
Parliament has commenced scrutinising sub-regional oversight reports on the Parish Development Model (PDM).
The PDM programme targets 39 per cent of households which are still in subsistence farming, with the objective of enabling them to increase agricultural productivity and value addition through access to a revolving fund at affordable rates.
On 02 February 2023, Speaker Anita Among sent Members of Parliament on a two-week recess to carry out oversight of PDM implementation activities in their respective constituencies and submit to Parliament a sub-regional report of their findings.
During plenary sitting on Wednesday, 29 March 2023, House started receiving the oversight reports with the Lango sub-region being the first to table their findings.
Kole North County Member of Parliament, Hon. Samuel Opio Acuti who presented the report on behalf of legislators from Lango noted discrepancies in the funds disbursed to various Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) in the Financial Year 2021/2022.
“Only 29 per cent of the parish SACCOS (175) in Lango sub-region received the full Shs17 million in 2021/2022 while 25 per cent of the SACCOs (145) did not receive any money. These arrears have not been paid to date,” Opio said.
Lango sub-region registered 597 parish SACCOs of which 277 SACCOs received less than the expected amount.
By the end of the Financial Year 2022/2023, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development is expected to disburse Shs100 million to each registered SACCO with Shs25 million expected to be released in every quarter of the financial year.
However, 582 SACCOs in Lango sub-region have so far received Shs25 million, while 15 did not receive any money.
This has been attributed to errors in their account names and numbers while some were not recognised by the Finance Ministry as parishes.
Opio said that the failure of the ministry to release all the funds in line with the Cabinet’s decision has created mistrust in the population about the intended purpose of the PDM programme.
He also noted that none of the parish SACCOs has disbursed funds to the beneficiaries.
“The delay in allowing SACCOs to disburse the funds coupled with the changing dates for roll out has resulted in loss of confidence in the programme,” he said.
The report urged the ministry to pay arrears and outstanding payments from the two financial years to the respective SACCOs before the end of June 2023.
The House will on Thursday, 30 March 2023 receive other sub-regional reports and subsequently debate them.
