Kampala, Uganda | While announcing the release of Shs. 529 billion to all verified PDM SACCOs, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said no beneficiary should be charged any fee to access their PDM loan.
He noted that RDCs, DISOs, and Accounting Officers must take firm action against any fraudsters or extortionists who attempt to exploit the programme.
Kasaija stressed that anyone who abuses the PDM system would face firm and swift punishment under the law and urged SACCO leaders to ensure proper selection of beneficiaries, effective monitoring, and timely loan recovery.
He encouraged SACCO members to save, invest, repay, and strengthen their SACCOs in order to build resilient parish economies.
The Minister said the government remained committed to enabling the Parish Development Model to transform the lives of ordinary Ugandans.
He added that when President Museveni promised to release UGX 1 trillion annually to parishes, some people doubted the commitment, but the NRM Government had since delivered on that pledge.
The announcement came as government released the first tranche of UGX 529 billion to capitalise Parish Development Model SACCOs for the 2025/26 financial year.
Starting tomorrow, all 10,589 verified PDM SACCOs are expected to receive UGX 50 million each directly into their accounts.
Under PDM policy, the government disburses funds in two instalments annually, each SACCO receiving UGX 50 million every six months.
At the Ministry of Finance, officials said the programme was no longer theoretical but had become a visible part of people’s daily lives in parishes and households across the country.
They added that PDM was growing stronger and more impactful as implementation expanded.
Government figures show that UGX 3.216 trillion has so far been transferred directly to parishes since the programme began.
Every parish has now received at least UGX 300 million, and officials reported that 99% of the funds had already been disbursed to an estimated 3.27 million Ugandans.
They indicated that the second tranche for the current financial year, an additional UGX 50 million per SACCO, would be released before June 2026, bringing the annual allocation to UGX 100 million per parish.
According to government data, beneficiaries under the programme have significantly invested in key livelihood enterprises.
Current investment levels include UGX 385 billion in coffee, UGX 1.1 trillion in food, and other cash crops, UGX 1.1 trillion in livestock, mainly piggery, and UGX 366 billion in poultry.