The Auditor General, Edward Akol, has revealed that only 84% of the funds released under the Parish Development Model (PDM) had reached households by the end of the 2024/25 financial year, raising renewed concerns over the management of the government’s flagship poverty-eradication programme.
Presenting the December 2025 Annual Audit Report to Parliament on 29 January 2026, Akol said that out of Shs3.258 trillion released by the government to 10,589 PDM SACCOs nationwide, only Shs2.75 trillion had been disbursed to beneficiaries. This left more than Shs508.6 billion undisbursed.
“I noted that out of Shs3,258.937 billion released cumulatively by government to PDM SACCOs, only Shs2,750.290 billion (84%) was disbursed to households by the end of the 2024/25 financial year, leaving Shs508.646 billion (16%) undisbursed,” Akol told Parliament.
The Auditor General further revealed that recovery of PDM funds from beneficiaries remains extremely low. According to the audit, only Shs9.340 billion has been recovered from 18,105 beneficiaries in 709 SACCOs across 30 local governments that had commenced voluntary repayment.
“I noted that of the beneficiaries who received PRF by December 2022, a total of 18,105 beneficiaries in 709 SACCOs across 30 local governments had commenced voluntary recovery, and a sum of Shs9.340 billion had been recovered. However, there was no evidence of preparedness for recovery in all local governments,” Akol said.
The audit also exposed serious weaknesses in the implementation of the PDM, including funding of ghost projects, delays in disbursement, diversion of funds, duplicate beneficiaries, and financing of ineligible projects.
Reacting to the report, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among warned that misuse of PDM funds was denying poor Ugandans the opportunity to benefit from the programme.
“As we appropriate monies, we want the money to reach the final user, the final beneficiary. But the problem we have is the diversion of these monies. The problem we have is that the money does not go to the intended beneficiary,” Among said.
She called on the Auditor General to intensify scrutiny of the programme.
“Auditor General, we want you to whip. This money should go to the right people. Because we cannot appropriate the money and then 70 percent of the people are rich while 30 percent cannot get anything,” she added.
Among also linked the ruling NRM’s recent electoral success to communities that genuinely benefited from the PDM.
“Most of the votes we got were because of the people who received the money rightfully — PDM money,” she said, warning that continued mismanagement of the programme could erode public trust.
