Karamoja locals must surrender phones to access PDM funds

Authorities in Karamoja have condemned the practice of seizing Parish Development Model (PDM) applicants' phones. This comes after some members were asked to surrender their mobile phones as part of the application process for the PDM funds.

For example, Pauline Opuya, 32, from Arengkeju village in Karamoja, has been without her mobile phone for nearly two months after it was seized by "Yesu Ngesi Erot" Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (Sacco) treasurer, John Robert Mangat.

Opuya was among the ten beneficiaries selected for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year after diligently saving for four years. During the process, she and the other selected beneficiaries were asked to deposit their mobile phones with Mangat, who claimed he needed them to access over-the-top (OTT) messages and other transactional details.

Since many villagers like Opuya have limited literacy, they trusted Mangat to handle the technical aspects of the process. However, despite repeated attempts to retrieve her phone, Mangat has refused to return it, citing ongoing issues with accessing the necessary information for her to receive the funds.

Opuya explained that Mangat had told her her sim card had issues, eventually leading to her being replaced on the beneficiary list by another member. The constant delays have left Opuya disconnected from her family and business, which rely heavily on mobile communication.

“I have gone to Mangat thrice to pick up my phone, but each time he tells me something different. First, he said my number had issues preventing me from accessing the PDM funds,” Opuya said.

Unfortunately, Opuya is not the only one facing such challenges. Another group member, Abednego Apuun, also had his name replaced after being told his phone line wasn't working. Both Opuya and Apuun are still without their phones, raising concerns about possible exploitation.

Magdalene Ilukol, Opuya’s niece, expressed worries that her aunt’s sim card could have been misused to transfer money to others, depriving her of much-needed funds.

“They take advantage of the illiteracy in this village. They deceive them, take much of the money, and give them very little,” Ilukol said.

When questioned, Mangat claimed he needed access to OTT and other details for the PDM process and that he was liaising with the district authorities to resolve the issue and suggested that Opuya either waits for the next disbursement or registers a new phone line.

However, Moroto chief administrative officer Kassim Kutosi Nasubi condemned the collection of phones from PDM applicants as illegal. He called for an immediate investigation, instructing his senior assistant secretary in Loputuk to look into the matter.

The Parish Development Model is a government initiative aimed at fostering wealth creation and employment at the parish level. Each parish is allocated Shs 30 million per financial year, with individual beneficiaries eligible for up to Shs 1 million, repayable over two years.

Opuya's story is part of a larger issue in Karamoja, where vulnerable communities are often exploited due to illiteracy and lack of awareness.

fkisakye@observer.ug