Residents from Namwenula ward in Bumbo town council located in Namisindwa district have besieged their local Member of Parliament, John Musila’s residence, contesting the alleged inclusion of Kenyan nationals in the list of beneficiaries for the parish development model (PDM). Bumbo town council is situated along the Uganda-Kenya border.
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The residents have accused Moses Situma, the Namwenula ward PDM chairperson, of favoring Kenyan beneficiaries over native Ugandans. According to Joshua Watenyeli, a concerned resident, Situma included 15 Kenyan nationals out of 87 beneficiaries during the second phase of the program, which goes against the program’s stipulated guidelines.
Initially seeking Musila’s intervention, the residents’ sentiment shifted against Situma when he appeared, leading to a near outbreak of violence.
Two community members, Peter Busawule and Martine Sitsangi, have demanded that PDM officials annul the list, alleging that Kenyans paid Situma between 100,000 and 500,000 Ugandan shillings to be included as beneficiaries.
Situma refuted the claims, asserting that the individuals he registered were Ugandan citizens who had temporarily crossed into Kenya for trade purposes.
John Musila, the Bubulo East constituency’s Member of Parliament, condemned Situma’s actions and urged for an investigation by the RDC office and the police. Julie Namara, the Deputy Namisindwa Resident District Commissioner, confirmed the incident and stressed that the PDM program is exclusively meant for Ugandan nationals.
She expressed concern that prioritizing Kenyan residents over native Ugandans sends a negative message. Last week, Imran Mulunga, the Namisindwa Resident District Commissioner, instructed all parish chiefs and PDM chairpersons to reimburse any money they received from beneficiaries, warning of potential arrest otherwise.
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