By: Ismael Kasooha
KYANKWANZI
The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has cautioned local leaders against obtaining expensive loans from money lenders. She also asked them to encourage people to take advantage of the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds instead of getting expensive loans from money lenders.
“Now that our people have access to PDM money, I ask you to advise them to avoid expensive loans from money lenders,” Nabbanja told over 400 leaders from eight districts at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi on Tuesday. “These money lenders enter into exploitative agreements with our people and end up taking their property,” she added.
The Premier, who opened the two-week Transformational Leadership Development Course, which is being attended by the district councillors, the LCIII Chairpersons, and the NRM District leaders from Hoima, Kyankwanzi, Kasaanda, Nakaseke, Kamwenge, Mubende, Kyegegwa, and Kakumiro Districts urged the leaders to use their positions to stop our people from getting expensive loans and encourage them to take advantage of PDM funds.
She also advised them to live within their means. This, she added, will protect them from the temptation of getting expensive loans.
The Premier reminded the leaders of the various programmes being implemented by the Government in their respective communities and urged them to supervise and monitor their implementation.
Paved road network
While the whole country is now connected by a tarmacked road network, the Premier noted that the road equipment in some districts is grounded.
“This equipment should be put to good use for the benefit of Ugandans,” Nabbanja said. “With effect from this financial year, the Government started providing sh1b per district to maintain our roads on top of the money districts have been receiving from the Uganda Road Fund,” she added.
Health and educational services
The Government, Nabbanja said, has implemented several projects in the health sector, including the rehabilitation of hospitals and the upgrade of Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs and Health Centre IIIs to Health Centre IVs.
The Prime Minister noted that the Government has built and continues to build more Primary and SEED Secondary schools in parishes and sub-counties in fulfilment of its policy of establishing a primary school per parish and a secondary school per sub-county. She continued to say that the Government has also established regional Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs to equip Ugandans with various vocational skills.
Food Security
Nabbanja urged the leaders to mobilise the people in their respective local governments to take advantage of the conducive weather and fertile soils to produce enough food to enhance food security.
“Please take note that the Government no longer distributes agricultural inputs. Farmers are required to take advantage of PDM funds to buy planting materials,” said Nabbanja.
She said that the Government is working to improve the livelihoods of the people through its focus on the four strategic sectors – commercial agriculture, industries, services, and ICT.
The Members of Parliament from the eight districts thanked the Government for organising the training to equip the leaders with skills and knowledge to lead the people better.
The NALI director Brig. Charles Kisembo told the trainees that his team of trainers had put together lessons that will be useful to them.
The training has been organised by the Office of the Prime Minister. Nabbanja said that similar trainings would be held for other local government leaders as well.
END
