The president was also told that unnamed heads of UPE and USE schools keep sending children home for failure to make unspecified financial top ups with claims that he (Museveni) was only responsible for paying only a fraction of the fees.
President Yoweri Museveni has threatened to decisively deal with handlers of Parish Development Model (PDM) financing processes reported for having deviated from the spelt-out modalities, and reportedly sharing the funds amongst themselves leaving designated beneficiaries outside the arrangement.
They also told him that PDM committees were named in a self-styled manner and not through public meetings convened for the purpose.
He was on Friday 2nd January, 2026 reacting to complaints raised by Mukono peasants at his campaign rally held at Naggalama St. Joseph’s Mixed Primary School in Nakifuma-Naggalama town council, during his ongoing vote hunting rounds in Greater Mukono region comprising of the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Buvuma and Buikwe.
Several villagers from various sub-counties had reported cases including PDM handlers who allegedly ask for sh200,000 from each successful applicant before giving out the sh1m to them, with defaulters chased away with disgrace, formation of parish committees outside the stipulated modes and including members named by the fund handlers, sharing out the PDM funds amongst themselves and leaving true beneficiaries yawning.
The president was also told that unnamed heads of UPE and USE schools keep sending children home for failure to make unspecified financial top ups with claims that he (Museveni) was only responsible for paying only a fraction of the fees.
A particularly dissatisfied disabled woman told the president that she has never heard of a single disabled person who received any money out of the releases from the government for the purpose.
In response, Museveni clarified that any parish committee formed without involvement of the communities is illegal, void and should be disregarded.
“If no general meeting is held ahead of formation of a committee, the committee so formed is trash; My team will come down there and establish how committees were formed and illegal ones will be dealt with,” the president pointed out.
However, he pointed out that if the villagers were summoned to attend meetings for formation of the PDM committees and they declined to attend, they will have themselves to blame.
The President blamed especially the youth for thinking of paying attention to ‘vibe’ at the cost of involvement in arrangements to get them out of poverty.
“You have grossly been misled by people luring you into this vibe thing, you are entitled to this vibe but after attending to more important issues. I also enjoy the ‘vibe’ but I get into it outside my official duties, not as a priority,” Museveni pointed out.
Elsewhere, Museveni stressed the importance of embracing government poverty reduction interventions, and gave visual examples of a goat farmer in Abim district, a piggery farmer in Nakisunga sub-county in Mukono South constituency and other PDM and emyooga beneficiaries who have successfully handled these projects and reaped handsomely.
The President who clarified that he was handling the poverty reduction matter more as a ‘Jjajja’ (grandfather) than as a politician, implored everyone to have something to do, adding that government has over the years set up many such programmes including ‘Entandikwa’, Uganda Women’s Empowerment Programme (UWEP), Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), Emyooga and many others open to all Ugandans regardless of their various affiliations.
The NRM National Vice Chairman Haji Moses Kigongo who ushered in the president to address Mukono people, reminded them that attending campaign rallies massively like they did will yield no benefit if they neglect turning up at the polling stations in January 15, 2026 to vote for President Museveni and all NRM flag bearers.
The speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among reported that in the last political term, Mukono did not get a single NRM MP which she said, made the district an orphan as far as benefiting from government programmes was concerned, as opposition legislators were not interested in cooperating with the government at any level.
“Your Excellency you may wish to note that since the exit of MPs; Ronald Kibuule for Mukono North and Eng. Kafeero Ssekitoleko for Nakifuma constituencies, development programmes in their constituencies stalled and unemployment which was being addressed by government programmes was dealt with a big blow”, Among reported.
“In those constituencies, electricity poles which were mounted five years ago and the failure to resecure their positions in Mukono North and Nakifuma by Kibuule and Ssekitooleko, respectively, they remained there to date, the opposition MPs they voted for did not work with UMEME to have their locals get electricity, unfortunately, the very MPs are using those poles to hang their campaign posters on them, that is unfair, I urge you voters not to repeat the same mistakes you did last time,” the Speaker stressed.
She appealed for a wealth fund for youths to boost the existing poverty reduction programmes in place, and to give a fresh impetus to the joblessness struggle.
Prominent NRM flag bearers in attendance included Ronald Kibuule (Mukono North), Eng. Robert Kafeero Ssekitooleko (Nakifuma), Margaret Nakavubu (Woman MP), Dr. Daisy Ssonko (Mukono Municipality), Micdad Mulimira (Mukono Municipality Mayor) and others.