Joshua Nahamya
Sheema Municipality – The Speaker of Parliament Hon Anita Annet Among has urged the government to roll local leaders to the Parish Development Model [PDM], to enhance its implementation and monitoring at ground level.
Amongi said this on Sunday at Hon. Dickson Kateshumbwa’s home while meeting National Resistance Movement delegates in Sheema Municipality.
She said that it is useless for a local leader on the ground to be told to monitor a government program when he or she is not part of that targeted program.
It is from that point that Amongi rallied the parliamentarians to support the campaign of allowing the local government leaders to be part of the PDM program for proper mobilization and implementation to make the program a success in their respective parishes.
“We have discussed this as parliament under appropriation that we shall make a provision on PDM that covers even the executive, the leaders of the party to be considered in their Sacco. Because we want them to monitor the PDM SACCOs but you cannot monitor the SACCOs when you don’t have a benefit out of those Saccos,” Among said
She added that “we shall do it to make sure that the municipalities have their PDM Saccos for the leaders and the districts also have the Saccos for leaders”.
People of Sheema Municipality in support of their area MP Dickson Kateshumbwa
The Speaker challenged the MPs also to start village SACCOs to transform their electorates from subsistence farming to the money economy.
“I want to thank the 11th parliament for bringing the PDM program and meanwhile as we wait for that, we shall start a Sacco in the municipality and the Sacco in the district that will be under Anita foundation. When you go to Bukedea I already have village Saccos in my district which each area Member of Parliament should embrace to get people to the money economy,” Among noted.
She also appealed to the people of Uganda to avoid sectarianism in the 2026 general elections. “As we go for an election season, I want to request people to vote in a peaceful manner,” Among said.
Meanwhile, President Museveni contributed Shs 25 million, while Amongi contributed Shs 20 million. CDF Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Mike Mukula, and MPs also made contributions, bringing the total to about Shs 160 million to support the urban Saccos in Sheema Municipality.
“Today I have come to do two things, one to launch Dickson Kateshumbwa’s book for his performance in the district for the last four years in parliament and two to fundraise for the Saccos in Sheema Municipality. Hon Kateshumbwa, I want to thank you for this initiative of having the money economy approach up to the grass root level, it is such important to have a leader who works for his people” she said
“And when I was coming the president gave me Shs 25 mln for the love of the people of Sheema, his son Muhoozi Shs 5mln and I have also added on Shs 20 mln making a total of Shs 50 mln to support the Saccos they have mentioned here.” Among noted
Area MP Dickson Kateshumbwa also added on Shs 10 mln, Mike Mukula Shs 5mln among other MPs making a total of Shs 80 mln that will be distributed evenly to the women and youths Saccos in Sheema Municipality.
The beneficiaries include; Sheema Journalists Sacco, Sheema Municipality Boda-boda Sacco, Sheema United Ghetto People’s Association, and Sheema Municipality Women’s Business Sacco among others.
Suzario Kanimi Ahimbisibwe, Loans officer boda-boda embraced the MP’s support that has enabled a number of motorists to benefit from the SACCO project.
“We started a boda-boda Sacco in May 2024, currently we have a total of 301 members, Total Capital of Shs 90 mln, and our loan portfolio stands at Shs 50mln. We thank Hon Kateshumbwa who helped us to register this Sacco to develop ourselves. He is part of us, he has an account in our Sacco, and he is the person who helped us to register and also lobbied for us two motorcycles from microfinance support centre that we are now using to add more income to our Sacco,” he noted
He added that the support from the fundraising will enhance their liquidity to have enough money for the members to borrow.
“This support is going to help us so much because we had a challenge of people coming to apply for the money that we don’t have but now that they have mobilized for us some funds it is going to boost us so much meanwhile as we encourage other people to join.” Ahimbisibwe stated
Some of the NRM delegates in Sheema being met by the Speaker Anita Among on Sunday
Agnes Natuhwera, Accountant at Sheema Journalists Sacco, also embraced the support urging more members to open accounts in their SACCO.
“We are happy for what Hon. Kateshumbwa has done for us. Currently we have a total of 145 members; our total capital is Shs 13.5mln. Now that they have added us some money, we believe that our Sacco will continue to grow, we call upon the youth, women and men to come and open accounts because this Sacco is not for journalists alone”
Regarding social services, Amongi pledged the tarmacking of the Bwizibwera-Nyakambi-Nsiika road connecting Sheema and Buhweju district during the coming financial years and commitment of Shs 200 mln towards the construction of a modern market for the vendors in Sheema municipality among other projects.
“Bwizibwera-Nyakambu road is in the budget and they are going to start working on it, we have also put money on Kabwohe Health Centre IV elevating it a district hospital and we market, and we have given Shs 200 mln for the construction of a modern market in the municipality”
Capt Mike Mukula, Central Executive Committee [CEC] Vice Chairperson Eastern Region, rallied the NRM delegates in Sheema to reinforce the support for Anita Amongi to become the 2nd Vice Chairperson representing the women of Uganda on the central executive committee.
“The speaker is one of the solid mobilisers we have in the country. From the time she took over the speakership, there is no leadership which has been so cohesive like under the speakership of Anita Among in the modern history of Uganda than under her” Mukula said
He also hailed Hon Kateshumbwa for forming, mobilizing, and supporting village groups and Saccos to transform the people of Sheema municipality to middle-income status.
Hon Dickson Kateshumba said that his campaign is aimed at transforming every person in the municipality to join the money economy. “Our target is to ensure that people should have money in their families to increase their household income. And in so doing I have supported the women and youth groups, and working with the government I have managed to lobby so many projects to have Sheema as the best municipality in service delivery which I have earmarked in my book that has been launched by the Speaker.” Kateshumbwa explained
