Police investigates embezzlement of PDM funds in Luwero

It is alleged that 41 million shillings was withdrawn from the accounts of Parish Development Model Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies and paid to beneficiaries unknown by the group leaders.

The affected PDM SACCOs include Migadde Parish SACCO located in Katikamu sub-county which lost 13 million shillings and Buyego PDM Sacco in Ndejje town council whose 15 million shillings were withdrawn without the knowledge of the executive committee leaders.

Other PDM SACCOs include Kakinzi, Kalwanga, Kyawangabi and Bukammbagga all located in Butuntumula sub-county which lost a total of 13 million shillings.

Richard Bwabye the Luwero Resident District Commissioner explains that the PDM SACCO executive committee leaders detected the unsuspicious withdrawals after they checked balances and found less amount of funds on their accounts.

Bwabye explains that the PDM SACCO leaders requested bank statements only to find out that unknown people in their groups had been paid from their accounts with the authorization of the commercial office.

He adds that the SACCO leaders petitioned his office asking him to investigate the matter and he has since tasked Police to take up the matter to prosecute the suspects.

Bwabye says that preliminary investigations indicate that an officer at the District Commercial office, whose identities have been withheld created a fake list of intended beneficiaries which he later approved to get the money using different SACCOs as conduits of payments.

Bwabye says that they are still compiling reports from Luwero sub-county, Zirobwe, and Busiika town councils where the same trick was used to steal PDM funds from SACCO accounts.

John Ojokuna the Luwero District Police Commander says that a file was opened up and statements recorded from PDM SACCO leaders pinning a commercial officer for embezzling the funds.

Ojokuna however noted that the implicated commercial officer has since gone into hiding and the Police are hunting for him to explain the whereabouts of the funds.

Innocent Asaba the Luwero District Chief Administrative Officer was unavailable to comment on the case.

However, URN has established that upon receiving complaints of embezzlement against the commercial officer, the CAO allegedly ordered that he be transferred to Zirobwe town council but the officer has not yet reported there.

The same officer was also accused of asking for kickbacks from parish chiefs to process the loan applications for the approved beneficiaries.

In February 2022 President Yoweri Museveni launched the Parish Development Model, a program meant to eradicate poverty through the execution of development activities at the parishes.

Since then the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has released shillings 10.8 billion shillings to 101 parish SACCO accounts in Luwero district.

However, cases of extortion and embezzlement of the funds are threatening the success of the program in the district.

Last year Police in Luwero arrested two leaders of Kyetume Parish Development Model SACCO for allegedly stealing 21,700,000 million shilling from beneficiaries.

The suspects admitted disbursing less money to applicants and pocket balances. They were released after they committed to refunding it.

Several residents have also complained over extortion by PDM SACCO leaders.