Museveni orders banks to stop deducting charges from PDM funds

President Yoweri Museveni has announced that banks will no longer deduct charges from funds allocated to beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) program.

The decision, announced during a public rally in Mbale City on Thursday, is aimed at ensuring that beneficiaries receive the full amount of Shs1 million allocated to them under the program.

“Those banks which have been knocking off money, I have stopped it, the government will pay the bank charges, they will not touch your Shs1 million,” President Museveni said.

The PDM program, launched earlier this year, aims to support vulnerable households and promote economic growth in Uganda. The program provides funding to beneficiaries to support income-generating activities such as agriculture, livestock, and small-scale enterprises.

Museveni said the government would act against any bank that fail to comply with the directive.

President Museveni also directed that all individuals who irregularly benefited from the PDM program must return the funds immediately. “Those ones got it, yet they are not supposed to get it. They should pay it back immediately. Those made a mistake of taking what is not theirs,” he ordered.

The President’s announcement is part of the government’s efforts to ensure that the PDM program benefits the intended recipients and promotes economic growth in Uganda. The government has allocated Shs100 million to each parish under the program, which is expected to benefit over 10,000 households across the country.