President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has praised the Parish Development Model (PDM) as a transformative tool for fighting poverty after meeting Nampa Harriet, a farmer in Mukono District who turned a UGX 500,000 government grant into a thriving piggery and dairy enterprise.
During his visit to Mangaliba Village in Nakisunga Sub-county on Thursday, President Museveni described Ms. Nampa’s achievements as a clear example of how small-scale capital, when used wisely, can change lives.
“I’m very happy to see that youths who had never touched a million shillings are succeeding,” President Museveni said. “This is what we envisioned when we introduced the PDM.”
Nampa, a mother of four, told the President that she initially requested only UGX 500,000 instead of the full UGX 1 million under PDM, fearing she wouldn’t manage the entire amount. She invested UGX 300,000 in three female pigs and spent the remaining UGX 200,000 on feed. Within eight months, her pigs produced 27 piglets, and she earned UGX 2.5 million from the sale of 25 piglets.
“I couldn’t believe I was touching millions,” she said joyfully.
She reinvested her earnings by buying more feed and saving UGX 1 million with her father. After another round of breeding, she made another UGX 2.5 million. She used the profits to purchase a cow, which now produces seven liters of milk daily—two for family use and five sold at UGX 10,000.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for considering us, the poor people, and sending us capital,” Nampa said. “Those who say UGX 1 million is little don’t know how to use it.”
Impressed by her discipline and enterprise, President Museveni pledged to buy Nampa an acre of land worth UGX 60 million, provide her with a tuk-tuk worth UGX 12 million to ease transportation, and construct a borehole in her village to address water challenges. He also gave UGX 1 million to each of the ten PDM beneficiaries who attended the meeting.
The President explained that PDM is the latest evolution of the National Resistance Movement’s long-term poverty eradication agenda. He noted that earlier initiatives like Entandikwa, NAADS, and Operation Wealth Creation laid the groundwork, but PDM is unique in that it sends funds directly to households.
“This model stems from our 1996 manifesto, promoting the four-acre approach—coffee, fruits, pasture for dairy, and food crops. Now we have added direct financial empowerment,” he said.
Across Greater Mukono—which includes Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe, and Buvuma districts—PDM is making visible strides. Out of UGX 70.1 billion allocated, UGX 67.7 billion has already been disbursed to 273 SACCOs. Each SACCO has received an additional UGX 50 million under the second tranche for the 2024/25 financial year.
- Breakdown of the second tranche funding includes:
- Mukono District: 88 SACCOs – UGX 4.4 billion
- Kayunga District: 71 SACCOs – UGX 3.55 billion
- Buvuma District: 38 SACCOs – UGX 1.9 billion
- Buikwe District: 31 SACCOs – UGX 1.55 billion
- Lugazi Municipality: 20 SACCOs – UGX 1 billion
- Njeru Municipality: 16 SACCOs – UGX 800 million
- Mukono Municipality: 9 SACCOs – UGX 450 million
President Museveni’s visit to Mukono was part of his ongoing zonal tours to assess PDM implementation and encourage community-level wealth creation.
The event was attended by several leaders including NRM Vice Chairperson for Buganda Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi, Minister of State for Microfinance Haruna Kasolo, and PDM National Coordinator Sozzi Galabuzi.