By: Ismael Kasooha

KAMPALA

Members of Parliament from Acholi sub region in Northern Uganda have asked the government to design a special programme under the Parish Development Model (PDM) of allocating funds based on poverty levels in the different regions.

“You are saying that the PDM is coming to remove the 39% of Ugandans from poverty but Northern Uganda are the biggest contributors of this poverty level.  ,Ideally the poverty levels in Northern Uganda are going up. Those who are generals are forgetting that you need to concentrate your forces where the enemies are,” said Anthony Akol, the Chairperson of Acholi Parliamentary group

Akol said that a parish in Northern Uganda either in Acholi, Bukeddi, Lango, Karamoja or West Nile is getting 100m like a parish in Bushenyi.

“I interacted with the LC V Chairman who intimated to him that when PDM funds were released, Bushenyi had no people falling in those categories yet such funds should be channeled to regions in need of it,” he said.

Akol said that Bushenyi did not have people who live in grass thatched houses, those sleeping on hides or mats and had to write back for further guidelines.

“Those who know how to fight are forgetting to remove the people who are in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of poverty, if nothing is done even your office is useless,” said Akol.

He said that PDM is being unfair by allocating 100m per parish regardless of the poverty levels.

“Our Prayer is that PDM funds must be distributed according to the poverty levels in the different regions if there is to be fairness and reducing poverty levels in the country,” said Akol.

With over 45.9 million people, Uganda is the fourth most populous country in the East African Community after DR Congo at 99 million, Tanzania at 65 million, and Kenya at 54 of the 302 million people that call the region bloc home, according to the population estimates.

Northern Uganda is among the poorest regions in the country with poverty levels estimated to be 67%.

The budget for the Financial Year 2024/2025 is not giving adequate money for the Northern region and the legislators are worried that nothing much will be delivered in the region.

The MPs wondered why the Executive Order no. 3 has taken ages to be implemented.

President Yoweri Museveni issued Executive Order no.3 of 2023, exercising the authority granted to him by Article 99 (2) of the 1995 Constitution. The Executive Order addresses various issues, including the Anti-Cattle Rustling efforts in North and North-Eastern Uganda, the environmental damage caused by the charcoal business, the disruptive activities of the indisciplined nomads known as Balaalo, the transformation of the Uganda Police Force into a Uganda-wide Police rather than just a Kampala Police, and the challenges posed by the Turkana nomads.

“We are wondering why the Executive Order has taken ages to be implemented giving excuses of foot and mouth Disease (FMD) yet we see some open animal markets in the region,” said Akol.

The Minister of State in charge of Northern Uganda Dr. Kenneth Omona assured the people of Northern Uganda that the NRM government will address issues affecting the development of the region.

“We have taken note of all the issues raised by you the legislators and we shall address them so that service delivery improves,” said Omona.

End