By Andrew Irumba
On Wednesday, state minister for Luwero Triangle and Rwenzori Region Ms.Alice Kaboyo met with Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Chief coordinator Gen.Salim Saleh in Gulu Barracks to brief him on the progress of the implementation of the Parish Community Association (PCA), pilot project which was started by her ministry since 2018, and had so far successfully implemented the system in Luwero Triangle and Busoga sub-region as pilot project.
Now, PCA model is just a small component in the bigger Parish Development Model (PDM) project, whose paper work and modus operandi was designed by Gen.Salim Saleh and Dr.Ezra Sabiti Suruma, while they were both ministers at the ministry of Finance way back in 2006, about 15 years ago.
Dr.Ezra Suruma was minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development from 2005 to February 16, 2009, whereas his counterpart Gen. Saleh served as Minister of State for microfinance from 2006 to 2008, when they coined the project plan.
The project targeted to benefit low income earners across the country, starting from the parish level. But 15 years later, the idea had not seen light. However, in 2020, the project, which was later dubbed “Emyooga” by president Museveni was rolled out and infact last week MPs were sent to their constituencies to ascertain their effectiveness.
Government is now planning to use the model (PDM) holistically in all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) for service delivery at the Parish level through the same networks.
According to our Spy who attended the closed door meeting in Gulu Barracks, the General expressed happiness on the progress of the implementation of one of the components (PCA) of the greater model, which minister Kaboyo revealed she had gone to brief him about on the progress and how she was ready to further work with OWC leadership structures on the model.
“I have never seen the General in such a joyous mood like today, but I can tell you it took him by surprise and was mesmerized to learn that the model (Parish Development Model), whose paper work he did together with Prof. Ezra Suruma 15 years ago, while they were ministers at the Ministry of Finance was finally receiving the appreciation it deserves.
He also, in a special way thanked Government and Kaboyo’s Ministry, which he learnt from her presentation that were already a step ahead in implementation of the same,” said our source who quoted Gen.Saleh having said in his remarks.
On the otherhand, Ms Alice Kaboyo also thanked the Gen and prof.Suruma for the great work when they hatched such a brilliant idea aimed at uplifting Ugandans through the Parish model system, and said Government approach to its implementation was the way to go.
She pledged total cooperation with OWC team on ground in her region of jurisdiction in as far as implementation of their well thought after agricultural projects are concerned.
Parish community Association model mobilizes people at Parish levels into associations, who then elect leadership before applying for a total of up to shs30million, revolving fund. A member uses the funds strictly for economic emancipation and later returns it before it’s given to another member. This project has so far been successfully tried in Busoga Sub-region and Luwero Triangle.
