Looking ahead, Wako plans to expand his kraal, exchange his present cows with improved dairy breeds which will increase his daily earning from the milk business.
Before 2023, Muwereza Wako struggled to finance his home needs which required at least sh2000 on a daily basis. A resident of Buyego cell in Tome ward, Buvuma Town Council however cannot forget the day he was persuaded to join the government initiative of Parish Development Model (PDM) through Tome Poultry Association, which has greatly impacted his life story.
“I would fail to buy a bar of soap, a kilo gram of sugar for my family and also educate my children, but all that is history,” said Wako (35), a father of seven children.
Wako made the revelation before President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during his official visit to Buvuma district on Thursday at the start of his three-day PDM zonal tour to Greater Mukono districts. The districts include; Mukono, Buikwe, Kayunga and Buvuma.
Wako said that PDM transformed him from subsistence farming to agribusiness and that he is now an inspiration to his entire community.
He said that though to some people, the one million shillings given out to PDM beneficiaries seems to be modest, he used it strategically to purchase a cow and a calf. This initial step laid the foundation for what has now become a growing farming enterprise.
When the calf matured into a bull, Wako sold it and used the money to acquire a cassava flour processing machine worth sh2.5m.
“I paid one million shillings upfront and completed the rest in instalments. The machine is now fully functional and serves both my household and neighboring families, improving food processing and creating new income streams,” he narrated.
Wako’s cow has since calved again and he now has three cows to show in his kraal, standing behind his muddy house.
He now earns a daily income of sh2000 from selling two out of the three litres of milk as he feeds the remaining one litre to his family.
“I use the cow dung as manure for my banana and coffee plantations. The coffee yields increased and I am also expecting abundant banana harvests,” he said.
Operating on only half an acre, he practices mixed farming and earns at least sh250,000 every month. This marks a major shift from his previous reliance on subsistence agriculture.
Looking ahead, Wako plans to expand his kraal, exchange his present cows with improved dairy breeds which will increase his daily earning from the milk business.
“I aim at producing at least 20 litres of milk on a daily basis. And given the ready local market I have, that will be a game changer to my earnings too,” Wako told the President.
He also aims at purchasing more land and adopts the four acre farming model advocated by the president.
His success has motivated others. Daniel Mugula, also borrowed one million shillings from PDM, bought a cow and three goats, and is now proudly managing his own livestock project.
President Yoweri Museveni, during his tour of the Greater Mukono sub-region, recognized Wako’s efforts. He praised him as a model PDM beneficiary and awarded him an additional sh12m to buy more land.
“You can use sh10m to buy an acre of land and the sh2m to start goat rearing,” President Museveni advised.
Other 10 PDM beneficiaries in Tome ward also received from the president one million shillings each, while the local council chairperson,Eric Wamacwa was supported with sh6m to buy a motorcycle for community work.
President Museveni explained that earlier government interventions such as ‘Bonna bagaggawale’ and Operation Wealth Creation did not have much impact just because of your own leaders who were only stealing from them.
“At least NAADS made some impact. To address the challenges, we introduced PDM, which allocates sh100m per parish through local SACCOs,” he said.
“This money is loaned out to community members at an affordable interest rate of sh120,000 per one million borrowed, with repayments made over three years.” According to the President, the funds remain in the community and grow over time, benefiting more people as repayments and interest revolve within the SACCOs.
So far, under the PDM program, Buvuma district has received sh11.6bn which has been distributed into 38 parishes and 9,146 individuals. The Member of Parliament for Buvuma constituency, Robert Migadde Ndugwa confirmed that sh9.6bn has been disbursed, with each parish-based SACCO receiving at least sh307m. He added that sh1.9bn is yet to be distributed because it had just been received close to the end of the financial year.
Migadde pointed out that while the program is benefiting farmers, it is not adequately supporting the fishing community. He called for a specialized funding window to help the fishing folks who require more capital for boats, engines, and fishing nets.
At least one fully equipped fishing boat requires a lamp sum of sh50-100m.
The State Minister in the Office of the Vice President, Diana Mutasingwa, praised the PDM for delivering services directly to the grassroots.
However, Mutasingwa emphasized the need for increased funding in high-population areas like Buganda.
She proposed that each parish should receive between sh300-500m annually to meet community demands.
Minister Mutasingwa also expressed concern about corruption in some areas, where officials have been reported to demand between sh200,000-300,000 from applicants before releasing funds.
“I have received such reports and instructed Police to prosecute such individuals and make sure that the culprits refund the money to the intended beneficiaries,” she said.
Back in Tome parish, Wako remains focused on growth. He dreams of becoming one of Buvuma’s top farmers, expanding his land, increasing livestock, and eventually building commercial properties in town.
“I am not just feeding my family. I am building a future,” Wako says, standing proudly beside his cassava mill, which has become a symbol of progress for the entire village.
At the nearby village, President Museveni also visited a model farmer, Edward Mubiru who is rearing over 30 dairy cattle, has over five acres of palm oil plants, grows coffee and other business ventures.
The president also donated sh12m to Mubiru and promised to purchase for him a vehicle to boost his transport.
