By David Imaa.
Subcounty, Town Council and Division Chairpersons in Tororo District have today received motorcycles to facilitate their efforts in implimentation and monitoring of government programs ahead of tthe Parish Development Model project.
The Parish Development Model (PDM) project which was recently launched in the Eastern District of Kibuku is a government programme that is geared at uplifting 39% of Ugandans in subsistance economy into money economy. Under this project, government is sending 17million Ugandan Shillings to every parish from where locals will use it to fund individual projects in a bid to fight poverty.
Tororo District has a total of 42 lower local goverments,171 parishes and 1275 villages.
The District Chief Admistrative Officer (CAO), Danstan Mbalaba, who handed over the bikes appealed to the beneficiaries to jealously guard the motorcycles and directed Subcounty Chiefs and Town Clerks to ensure the bikes are serviced and fueled for effective delivery of services to the people.
Mbalaba also directed with caution all the local leaders who received bikes to first acquire driving licences to avoid turning into victims of road accidents or end up in hospitals.
However Mbalaba appealed to government to consider the CAOs with provision of new vehicles saying most of them are using project vehicles and few vehicles available are non-functional yet their duties span across the districts.
Dr Emmanuel Otala the MP and Chairperson committee of Natural Resources commended goverment for its effort to remember Subcounty chairpersons but called upon the leaders to guard the motorcycles with care since thieves who would want to steal them are watching.
Otaala also cautioned the leaders against turning the bikes they received into boda-bodas since they remain goverment property.
The state minister for Defense and veteran affairs and the West Budama member of parliament, Hon Jacob Maxon Oboth Oboth, tasked the chairpersons to put service before self but also directed the office of the Chief Adminstrative Officer immediate registration of parish development model sacco’s.
Mr Nixion Owole, the Tororo District Resident District Commissioner (RDC) requested area MPs to lobby for a training program for leaders in the district for effective service delivery.
