NEWS– President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today May 15th 2025, started the Parish Development Model assessment tour in Tooro Sub-region as part of his countrywide tour to see for himself how it has been implemented.
According to a statement from the Presidential Press Unit , the tour aims to evaluate the impact of the PDM program on rural livelihoods, interact directly with farmers and local leaders, and gather grassroots feedback to further strengthen its implementation.
The President yesterday completed the assessment in the Rwenzori sub-region, where he met the beneficiaries of the program, inspected the ongoing community projects and commissioned the completed projects.
The President said that these engagements are expected to provide valuable insights into how the PDM is transforming household incomes and boosting local economies.
In the Tooro sub-region, the President will have with key engagements in Kyenjojo District, including an inspection of the Presidential Skilling Hub in Kyenjojo Town which focuses on equipping youth with vocational skills to promote job creation and reduce unemployment.
The President will wrap up his tour with a grand rally on Sunday, May 18th at Kicwamba Primary School Playground in Kitagwenda District, where he is expected to address residents and reaffirm the government’s commitment to inclusive rural development.
The Parish Development Model is Uganda’s flagship initiative aimed at transitioning subsistence households into the money economy through community-led development.
While in Bunyangabu District today as part of the assessment tour, President Museveni visited is one of the 10,131 beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model Deo Katuramu.
After working as a taxi driver for nineteen years, Katuramu utilized Parish Development Model funds to buy three pigs and an acre of bananas, as well as maize for pig feed and has successfully sold several piglets, allowing him to invest in a cow, build a cow pen and cover his children’s school fees.
The President who was accompanied by Maama Janet Kataha Museveni noted and said that he was pleased to see that Ugandans have embraced the support provided by the Parish Development Model.
In Kamwenge District, the President visited Julius Akorinako, a retired District Inspector of Schools in and said that he was happy Akirinako listened to our advice and transitioned from growing maize to coffee farming where he started with just two acres of clonal coffee seedlings from a coffee nursery bed and within two years, he had his first harvest.
Akorinako said that he earned Ugx 5 million, with a profit of Ugx 3 million, confirming his decision to invest in coffee and encouraged by this success, he expanded his plantation to six acres and now earns Ugx 20 million every four months, totaling an annual net income of approximately Ugx 40 million.
“When I last came to Kamwenge, people were planting maize; you would find someone telling you they had two acres and were making only Shs 600,000 gross. I asked them, “Don’t you see that this is blindness?” The President lamented.
The President then thanked the people of Kamwenge for listening to his advice like Korinako which has now inspired others.
