By Mike Rwothomio 

Juliet Amia, the Town Agent for Dwonga Ward in Paidha Town Council, Zombo District, has been directed by the Resident District Commissioner Mr. Festus Ayikobua, to record a statement at Paidha Central Police Station following multiple allegations of irregularities in the disbursement and management of Parish Development Model funds.

The directive was issued during a high-level community engagement meeting convened by the RDC on Monday, March 23, 2026, at the Paidha Cultural Centre.

The meeting addressed widespread public complaints regarding alleged extortion, manipulation of beneficiary lists, inclusion of non-ward residents, and procedural breaches in the government’s flagship poverty alleviation and enterprise development programme.

Members of the public, particularly from Dwonga, accused the town agent of several malpractices, including 

Unilaterally generating beneficiary lists without the involvement or consent of Enterprise Leaders and Local Council I (LCI) chairpersons, Replacing names on beneficiary lists without justification.

Requiring LCIs to sign minutes of meetings they did not attend.

A visibly concerned RDC Ayikobua, accompanied by the Officer-in-Charge of Paidha Central Police Station SP Fred Bogere, the OC Crime, the District Internal Security Officer (DISO) Ajobe Ashraf, and other local leaders, warned that such acts of impunity would no longer be tolerated.

“With all these serious accusations against you, you must go and record a statement at Paidha Central Police Station. We cannot tolerate this anymore,” Mr. Ayikobua stated firmly, drawing applause from the gathered residents.

When Amia Juliet was given a chance to respond to some of the accusations, she said, “They were the pioneers who got PDM. There was a time we got a guideline that those who got money in the first lot and they have not paid, any other group that is coming up we shouldn’t give them money.”

When the RDC questioned Amia on the selection of beneficiaries, Amia responded that, “We have not allowed because we are told that we shouldn’t give any money under that enterprise, so we didn’t inform them to generate the people.” However, Amia’s response was not satisfactory to the RDC.

In a demonstrative move to verify claims, the RDC instructed the Town Agent from neighbouring Zingili Ward to cross-check a Dwonga Ward beneficiary’s details in the system. The name was reportedly not found in the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) database, raising further concerns about possible ghost or ineligible beneficiaries.

DISO Ajobe Ashraf described the emerging issues as “impunity and corruption” and appealed to the public to continue providing timely information to authorities to root out malpractices in PDM implementation.

Complains 

Nicholas Ocora, Chairperson of Meira Poultry Group in Dwonga Ward, publicly criticised the exclusion of PDM Enterprise Leaders from beneficiary selection.

Anita, Dwonga Ward PDM Loan Officer, expressed her desire to resign, stating she did not want to be associated with corrupt practices.

"As a loan officer, I have no involvement in the loan disbursement process and do not personally know several of the beneficiaries. As a person of faith and strong moral conviction, I intend to resign to ensure that my name remains untainted by any potential issues surrounding the program." She said.

Chombe Michael Anecho, LCI Chairperson of Meira Cell, alleged that lists of beneficiaries were brought to him for signature after funds had already been disbursed.

Charles Mawa, LCI Chairperson of Thungu Cell, accused officials of preparing minutes in his absence and later asking him to sign them.

Reacting to the concerns, Felix Jacwic-ungeyo, Community Development Officer for Paidha Town Council, urged all PDM implementers to strictly adhere to programme guidelines, acknowledging repeated complains he has been receiving from the community over PDM irregularities.

Esmond Odota, Town Clerk of Paidha Town Council, commended the RDC for the proactive engagement and called on LC I and LC II leaders to strengthen monitoring of PDM activities.

Innocent Godfred Onega, LC III Chairperson of Paidha Town Council, emphasised that “PDM is not a joking matter” and appealed for proper implementation so that more deserving households could benefit.

This latest development in Paidha Town Council mirrors broader challenges across Zombo District, where residents have repeatedly raised concerns over PDM fund management.

It echoes similar actions taken by the same RDC in March 2025 against a Parish Chief in Kango Sub-County and a Town Agent in Warr Town Council over alleged embezzlement.

Since the launch of the Parish Development Model in 2022, Zombo District has recorded a disbursement rate exceeding 80% across its 61 parishes. However, persistent complaints of extortion, name replacements, cash payments, and beneficiary list manipulations have continued to surface, prompting heightened scrutiny from local authorities.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has on several occasions expressed strong displeasure over the mismanagement of PDM funds nationwide and has directed decisive action against perpetrators to safeguard the programme’s objective of transitioning households from subsistence to the money economy through supported enterprises and social services delivery.

Stakeholders including PDM beneficiaries , leaders and town agent s for a meeting at the cultural center in Paidha town council.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub