The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to driving Uganda’s socio-economic transformation through the Parish Development Model (PDM), announcing the release of Shs529 billion to fully capitalise all verified PDM Savings and Cooperatives Organisations (SACCOs) for the current financial year.
Addressing journalists at the Ministry’s offices on November 18, 2025, the Matia Kasaija described the PDM as a nationwide engine of economic liberation, rooted in the NRM Government’s longstanding mission to lift Ugandans from subsistence livelihoods into sustained prosperity.
He emphasised that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s 2021 pledge to deliver affordable capital directly to every parish has now been fulfilled, marking a historic shift in how government resources reach citizens.
According to the Minister, the Government has already transferred Shs3.261 trillion to 10,589 parishes across the country, funds that have reached ordinary Ugandans without intermediaries.
Every parish has now received at least Shs300 million, with 99 percent of the capital disbursed to 3.27 million beneficiaries, including farmers, youth, women, persons with disabilities and small-scale entrepreneurs.
He noted that investments through the programme have boosted production in sectors such as coffee, food and cash crops, livestock and poultry, all of which demonstrate that “the PDM is working” and transforming local economies.
The Minister underscored that momentum will continue to build in the 2025/26 financial year, with Government allocating additional capital and facilitation amounting to more than Shs1 trillion to strengthen the revolving fund, support parish administration and deepen financial inclusion.
He stressed that the latest disbursement will see every PDM SACCO receive Shs50 million starting immediately, an action he described as clear evidence of the NRM Government’s track record of delivery rather than rhetoric.
While urging Government-owned banks, led by Pearl Bank (PostBank), to accelerate the rollout of Wendi agents to expand access to financial services, the Minister also issued a firm message to national and local leaders.
He reiterated that beneficiaries must not be charged any fees to access their loans and warned that fraud, extortion and abuse of the system will attract swift legal consequences.
SACCO leaders, he said, must uphold transparency, ensure proper loan management and strengthen recovery mechanisms, while community members are encouraged to save, invest and grow their enterprises.
The Minister affirmed that the PDM has shifted from policy concept to tangible impact found in households, gardens, livestock, savings groups and parish economies across Uganda.
Speaking on behalf of the President, he officially flagged off the new disbursement phase, calling on all stakeholders, government officials, SACCOs, farmers, youth and development partners, to build a future where every household produces, earns and contributes to national growth.
The PDM beneficiaries have so far invested Shs 385 billion in coffee; Shs1.1 trillion in food and other cash crops; Shs1.1 trillion in livestock mainly piggery, and Shs366 billion in poultry among other enterprises.
