Zombo town agent remanded over alleged diversion of PDM funds to church construction
Since the Parish Development Model was launched in February 2022, the government has injected UGX 21.78 billion into 61 PDM SACCOs across Zombo District over five financial years.
Zombo: A Town Agent in Paidha Town Council, Zombo District, has been remanded to prison over allegations of diverting Parish Development Model (PDM) funds meant for household income-generating projects to finance the construction of a church.
Juliet Amia, the Town Agent for Dwonga Ward, was remanded to Paidha Prison following complaints from residents alleging widespread abuse of the government poverty alleviation programme.
Confirming the arrest, Zombo Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Festus Ayikobua said investigations indicate that Amia allegedly channelled funds intended for PDM beneficiaries into church construction.
“We realized that this lady was collecting all the PDM money to build a church. Of course none of us is against building a church. We all contribute towards church development, but the church should be built with clean resources,” Ayikobua said.
He said Amia was remanded last week as investigations continue.
The Parish Development Model provides seed capital to selected beneficiaries to establish income-generating enterprises such as piggery, poultry, coffee growing, Irish potato farming, bean production and horticulture, with the objective of moving households into the money economy.
According to the RDC, residents accused the suspect of several irregularities that undermined the programme’s objectives, including manipulating beneficiary lists without consulting Enterprise Leaders or Local Council I chairpersons, replacing names without justification, registering non-residents using forged National Identification Numbers and extorting between UGX 100,000 and UGX 200,000 from intended beneficiaries.
Zombo Chief Administrative Officer Robert Abenaitwe said disciplinary action would follow once investigations are concluded.
“We are going to interdict her, no choice. Automatically that is corruption,” Abenaitwe said.
He urged all civil servants entrusted with public resources to exercise integrity and accountability.
“Public officers must handle government funds responsibly because these resources are meant to improve the lives of wananchi,” he added.
The case adds to a series of alleged PDM-related corruption incidents in Zombo District.
In March 2025, the RDC took action against a Parish Chief in Kango Sub-county and a Town Agent in Warr Town Council over alleged embezzlement of PDM funds.
In June 2026, a Wendi Parish Agent was arrested after allegedly diverting UGX 7 million from a UGX 50 million PDM disbursement to clear a personal bank loan.
Meanwhile, Zombo Woman Member of Parliament Topista Acamfua and Ora County MP Grace Freedom Kwiocwiny have repeatedly warned against the misuse of PDM funds while encouraging citizens to report corruption backed by credible evidence.
PDM Progress in Zombo
Since the Parish Development Model was launched in February 2022, the government has injected UGX 21.78 billion into 61 PDM SACCOs across Zombo District over five financial years.
District records indicate that by December 2025, 15,533 beneficiaries—comprising 8,138 men and 7,395 women—had received support, with about 89 percent investing in approved enterprises.
However, according to the 2024 Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) National Population and Housing Census, 60.4 percent of Zombo’s 43,212 households remain in the subsistence economy.
To improve transparency and accountability, the district is strengthening the use of digital monitoring systems, including the PDM Information System–Financial Inclusion System (PDMIS-FIS).
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has consistently directed security agencies and local leaders to take firm action against individuals who misuse PDM funds, insisting that the programme should exclusively support genuine household enterprises and economic transformation.
“PDM resources are meant to transform households through productive investment, not to finance personal interests or unrelated projects,” the President has repeatedly emphasized.
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