Three Nansana Officials Arrested Over Mismanagement of PDM Funds

Three Nansana Division officials have been arrested over allegations of failing to account for government funds, including money meant for Parish Development Model beneficiaries.

Three government officials in Nansana Division, Wakiso District, have been arrested over allegations of failing to account for public funds, including money allocated to the Parish Development Model (PDM).

The arrests were ordered by Wakiso Resident District Commissioner Justine Mbabazi during a public accountability meeting, or Baraza, held to assess the implementation of government programmes in Nansana.

Those arrested are Nansana Division Town Clerk Rosette Namiro, Agricultural and Veterinary Officer Peter Nsubuga and Hajjarah Ntudde, who was involved in identifying PDM beneficiaries.

Namiro was first asked to account for funds allocated to Nansana Division and told the meeting that her office had received Shs34.742 million, which was used to purchase 116 school desks at Shs295,000 each.

Residents, however, questioned the cost of the desks and demanded an explanation of how the procurement was conducted.

Namiro also said more than Shs10 million had been spent on constructing a water tank at Nansana SDA Primary School.

She further told the meeting that 35 pigs, aged between three and five months, had been purchased at Shs39,700 each under a government programme intended to improve household incomes.

The explanations did not satisfy residents, who continued to press the officials for details about the expenditure and beneficiaries.

As Namiro struggled to respond to some of the questions, she called other officials to assist her, but Mbabazi eventually ordered her arrest together with Nsubuga.

“We cannot allow government officials to misuse taxpayers’ money. Anyone who fails to account for public funds must be held responsible,” Mbabazi said.

Ntudde was separately arrested after she read out names of people listed as PDM beneficiaries, with some of those named reportedly coming forward to deny receiving the money.

Residents accused officials of including people on the beneficiary lists who had allegedly not received PDM funds.

Mbabazi directed police to obtain a statement from Ntudde and investigate how the PDM funds were distributed and whether the listed beneficiaries actually received the money.

The PDM, a government programme introduced to channel resources directly to parish-level communities to support household enterprises and improve incomes, has faced scrutiny in several parts of the country over beneficiary selection, accountability and utilisation of funds.

The Nansana meeting also exposed concerns beyond PDM funding, with residents accusing some government schools of charging fees despite the Government's policy of free primary education.

Mbabazi subsequently directed Nabweru Police to investigate the allegations and arrest heads of schools found to be charging illegal fees.

Residents welcomed the crackdown, saying public funds intended to improve livelihoods and service delivery should not be diverted or mismanaged by officials entrusted with implementing government programmes.

They called for strict action against any public official found to have misappropriated or failed to account for taxpayers' money.

By the time the Baraza was still ongoing, the three officials had been taken to police to record statements as investigations into the allegations continued.