Dr. Ayub Mukisa: The Parish Development Model in Karamoja: A Good Model in  the Hands of Dishonest Beneficiaries. 

In this article, I will show that despite the government’s initiative to increase household incomes  and improve the quality of life through the Parish Development Model (PDM), the beneficiaries  have been dishonest atier receiving one million shillings. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the Ugandan government for directly sending PDM money to the mobile  phones of the people of Karamoja without any intermediaries. 

However, based on the way some beneficiaries in Karamoja are using the PDM funds, I doubt if  the PDM will truly achieve its goals of improving incomes, creating jobs, increasing wealth, and  improving the quality of life of the people. This is where the concept of “dishonest beneficiaries in Karamoja” comes into play. Dishonesty begins when some beneficiaries receive the one million shillings on their mobile phones. Excitement sets in, and while spending the money, they do not follow the business plans or enterprises applied for. In fact, some people use or divert the money  to otherthings, while others use it for consuming alcohol. When discussing with a technical officer  in Karamoja, he mentioned that,” One challenge is thatsome people have never handled a million shillings, so when they receive that amount, they become excited and confused. You may find  some of them in bars spending the PDM money.” To verify the dishonesty among beneficiaries, I  discovered during a Baraza meeting that PDM has been nicknamed “Personal Drinking Money.”  The question here is: PDM beneficiaries, do you know that you have to pay back this money?  Additionally, the government has provided you with startup capital to help you escape poverty.  Who will you blame for your own mistakes again? The World Bank Group (2024) described  Uganda’s Parish Development Model as “an ambitious and worthwhile initiative if implemented  well.” Therefore, I appeal to government technocrats to conduct a scientific evaluation to gather empirical evidence on the impact of PDM in communities, not only in Karamoja but throughout  Uganda. Otherwise, you may end up pumping billions of money into a project with minimal long-term impacts. 

Ayub Mukisa (PhD)
Executive Director-Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com