BY JOACKIM KULE
The police at Bwera Division in Kasese district are holding four suspects on allegations of extorting money from the people who intend to benefit on the Parish Development Model program.
The suspects who are the Parish Development Sacco leaders for Rusese Ward in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council and Bikunya Parish of Karambi Sub county in Bukonzo County West were detained last evening on the orders of the Kasese Deputy RDC in-Charge of Bukonzo County .
Lt. (Rtd) Mate Magwara, the complainant in this case explains that on the 22nd October this year, he received a whistle blower who alerted him of the alleged malpractices in the disbursement of the PDM funds in Rusese Ward.
He said since they were still disbursing the money, he wanted to them to first complete the exercise so that he could find out after a good time.
He said that on 8th November, after he had ascertained that all the payments had been made, he checked his sources again and discovered that the PDM SACCO Committee of Rusese Ward that comprises of Mr. Monday Balikwisa, who is the chairperson, Moses Masereka, the Secretary, Ms. Martha Biira, the Treasurer and Ms. Wilfred Nyalhukeri, the Town Agent had disbursed only shillings 200,000 instead of one million to Mr. Wilson Isingoma.
The RDC also says that the same committee had disbursed shillings only 400,000 instead of shillings 1 million to Goreth Biira while the other beneficiary William Kule had not been given any money and his National ID and telephone had been confiscated by the committee members.
Lt. Mate also revealed that for the case of Bikunya Parish Development Model Chairperson in Karambi, he was approached by a group of five women including Donencien, Jessica Masika Tuhairwe, Jenipher Kyakimwa, Joyline Muhindo and Zaulia Masika, who claimed that they representing a group of 29 other people who are residents of Mpondwe –Lhubiriha Town Council.
The complaints told him that a man called David Munyirimu of Kathoma village in Bikunya Parish, Karambi sub -county and Chairperson of Bikunya PDM SACCO collected different amounts of money from them in order for them to be given money from his parish which is not in their sub county.
During the meeting, the accused, Munyirimu had pleaded that they could give him a maple time so that he could refund the money worth 1.7 million in a two months’ time.
ENDS