By Masejele Sulaiman
BUSIA — Beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) have been urged to prioritise investments that can generate long-term household income instead of spending the funds on immediate personal needs.
The call was made by NRM Treasurer Ambassador Hon. Barbara Nekesa Oudo during a visit to Wasawa Farm in Mayombe Village, Busia District, where she interacted with farmers and assessed agricultural activities supported through the PDM programme.
Nekesa said the effectiveness of PDM will ultimately be measured by whether households are able to use the funds to build sustainable sources of income and improve their economic wellbeing.
She cautioned beneficiaries against treating the funds as ordinary cash for consumption, saying such spending could frustrate the government’s efforts to reduce household poverty.
“PDM money is not for buying smartphones. It is meant to create wealth and fight poverty at the household level,” Nekesa said.
She encouraged beneficiaries to invest in enterprises such as crop farming, livestock, poultry and small businesses, which she said could provide regular income when properly managed.
Nekesa also challenged parish chiefs, local leaders and community monitors to take a more active role in following up on beneficiaries and ensuring that the funds are invested according to the objectives of the programme.
At Wasawa Farm, she advised farmers to regard PDM support as investment capital and to reinvest profits into their enterprises to increase production and income.
She said effective monitoring, responsible management and proper investment of PDM funds would be essential if the programme is to produce measurable improvements in household livelihoods.
The Parish Development Model is one of the government’s key interventions aimed at moving households from the subsistence economy into the money economy by providing financing and other support at parish level.
They said the donation would enable them to restore their homes, provide safer shelter for their families, and improve their overall living conditions.
The initiative is expected to reach more vulnerable households across Butiru County as the distribution continues.