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By Morish Dramadri Arua city Officials overseeing the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Arua City and Arua District have raised concerns over the slow recovery of funds disbursed to beneficiaries under the program’s first phase, citing ne
By Morish Dramadri
Arua city
Officials overseeing the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Arua City and Arua District have raised concerns over the slow recovery of funds disbursed to beneficiaries under the program’s first phase, citing negative attitudes and inadequate sensitization as major challenges.
The Government of Uganda rolled out the Parish Development Model in the 2022/2023 financial year as a key strategy for improving household incomes and transitioning communities from subsistence to commercial production.
Under the programme, beneficiaries received revolving funds through parish SACCOs and were expected to repay the money within one year to enable other community members to benefit.
However, recovery rates in parts of West Nile remain significantly low, raising concerns about the sustainability of the initiative.
According to records from the Arua City PDM Desk, only Shs12.1 million has been recovered from beneficiaries despite the city’s 23 PDM SACCOs receiving a combined Shs6.5 billion during the first phase of the programme.
Dr. Luke Taban, the PDM Focal Person for Arua City, attributed the poor recovery performance to the initial emphasis placed on fund disbursement rather than beneficiary education and monitoring. He noted that authorities are now intensifying community sensitization campaigns to ensure beneficiaries understand their obligations to repay the funds and sustain the revolving scheme.
“We should have started recovery around November that is when we first give the beneficiaries money through the WENDI we are still within the time frame of recovery, we have been so much taken up by disbursement so they have not been sensitized. We are all now speaking the same language of recovery in the next five to six months we would she funds trickling from the communities back to the parishes or their wards,” Taban supposed.
In neighboring Arua District, recovery performance has also remained below expectations. District records indicate that only 2.6 percent of the funds disbursed during the first phase have so far been recovered.
Dr. Willy Nguma, the Arua District PDM Focal Person, blamed the slow repayment on the attitudes of some beneficiaries, many of whom reportedly perceive the funds as government handouts rather than revolving loans that must be repaid.
“Our district has not been doing well among many we have so far paid 2.6% and this translates to about 11.9million shillings out of 220million we have had this challenge because many people thought this was free money, so we have a poor recovery so far,” Nguma exposed.
The low recovery rates come at a time when the government is tightening enforcement measures to safeguard the programme. On June 15, 2026, the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, issued a 21-day ultimatum to all PDM beneficiaries across the country to return the funds, effective June 16, 2026.
The minister warned that beneficiaries who fail to comply with the directive within the stipulated period risk facing legal action and possible prosecution.
The Parish Development Model remains one of Uganda’s flagship poverty alleviation programs, but officials say its long-term success will depend on timely loan recovery, continuous sensitization of beneficiaries, and stronger community ownership of the initiative.