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The Ministry of Local Government Permanent Secretary, Ben Kumumanya in the group picture with the auditors and planners of laptops at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday. (Photo Milton Niinga)
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By Milton Niinga
The Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) has released 167 laptops to internal auditors and planning units in local governments to enhance the monitoring of Parish Development Model (PDM) funds across districts, cities, and municipal councils.
Each laptop, procured at a cost of sh4.5 million, is intended to support data capture, presentation, and analysis during the implementation of PDM funds disbursed to villages through Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) at the sub-county level.
The Ministry of Local Government Permanent Secretary, Ben Kumumanya handing over the laptops to beneficiaries at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday. (Photo by Milton Niinga)
In collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), the government is implementing the Resource Enhancement and Accountability Program (REAP) to boost resource mobilization, improve planning and public investment management, and strengthen accountability for quality and efficient service delivery.
Ben Kumumanya, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, handed over the laptops at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. He stated that the laptops were procured for distribution to selected local governments to support the operations of internal audit and planning units and to improve the monitoring of government funds.
"The laptops are strictly for the respective accounting officers, internal auditors, and planners. These are some of the strongest departments among the 14 that help the government provide quality service delivery under the decentralization policy," he said.
He noted that this initiative is part of the provisions of Article 176(2)(e) of the Local Government Act, which mandates that appropriate measures be taken to enable local government units to execute their responsibilities effectively.
"From the PDM reports we have received, sh250 million per parish has so far been disbursed. The accounting officers are now fully aware of the challenges that have hindered program implementation, but we are entering a stabilization phase," he added.
Permanent Secretary for the Local Government Ministry, Ben Kumumanya speaking at the handover of laptops to beneficiaries at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday (Photo by Milton Niinga)
Crackdown on corrupt Parish Chiefs, SACCO leaders
While addressing a capacity-building workshop for local government planners, Kumumanya emphasized the government's commitment to cracking down on parish chiefs and SACCO leaders who mismanage funds intended for the poor.
"We are dealing with corrupt individuals at parish and sub-county levels. If any parish chief or SACCO leader is found to have mismanaged PDM funds, they must be arrested and prosecuted," he warned.
The government adopted the PDM strategy to transition 39% of households from subsistence to the money economy. The PDM is a flagship program of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government under President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, aimed at transforming the socio-economic lives of Ugandans at the grassroots level.
"The purpose of these laptops is to digitize and streamline PDM activities, enhance transparency, track fund disbursements, and ensure accountability in fund management," Kumumanya reiterated.
Planners call for better ICT infrastructure
Gideon Mugurusi, President of the Uganda National Planners’ Union and one of the beneficiaries of the laptop program, noted that the success of PDM depends on organized, integrated, and results-based efforts. This includes developing data systems that provide real-time information on interventions at the parish level.
"The data generated and interpreted will improve our understanding of the different and unique characteristics of households across the country, which will guide the delivery of targeted interventions," Mugurusi said.
However, he expressed concern that the lack of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and poor internet connectivity in many local governments hampers the coordination and monitoring of PDM activities.
"Data collection and management require tools such as computers, scanners, recorders, and cameras. Unfortunately, many local governments still lack this equipment," he pointed out.
Mugurusi also cited limited internet connectivity as a significant barrier to effective data generation, processing, analysis, and dissemination.
"Most districts lack reliable internet. Only 58 out of the 135 district headquarters are connected to the National Backbone Infrastructure. Additionally, unreliable power supply continues to affect the use of ICT equipment for handling statistical data in some areas," he added.
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