Museveni hails PDM success in greater Mukono

_________________

President Yoweri Museveni was left impressed and full of praise after meeting Nampa Harriet, a beneficiary of the Parish Development Model (PDM), whose inspiring transformation of a modest shillings 500,000 investment into a successful farming enterprise has become a symbol of what the programme aims to achieve across Uganda.

During his visit to Mangaliba village in Nakisunga sub-county, Mukono district, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, President Museveni commended Nampa for her entrepreneurial spirit and excellent use of government support.

During her inspiring testimony that captured national attention, Nampa, a mother of four, narrated how she turned a modest government grant of shillings 500,000 into a thriving piggery business and later expanded into dairy farming, now earning a daily income and providing for her family comfortably. Initially hesitant to accept a full million shillings under the PDM, she requested only half, fearing the burden of managing such a large sum.

“I used 300,000 to buy three female pigs, each at 100,000, and used the balance of 200,000 to buy pig feed. In eight months, they produced 27 piglets. I sold 25 piglets at 100,000 each, earning 2.5 million. I couldn’t believe I was touching millions,” she joyfully informed the President.

Nampa reinvested in her business by saving shillings one million with her father and using shillings 1.5 million for more feed. On the second round of breeding, she earned another shillings 2.5 million from piglet sales and later added a cow to her assets, further diversifying her source of income. The cow now produces seven liters of milk daily, two of which are consumed by her family, while the remaining five are sold for shillings10,000 daily.

“Thank you for considering us, the poor people, and sending us capital. As someone who had nothing, I can now see where I’m going. This shillings one million is not small if you plan very well. Those who say it's little don’t know how to use it,” Nampa said.

Her remarkable journey from being a cautious borrower to thriving agri-entrepreneur impressed President Museveni, who used her example to highlight the importance of strategic planning, discipline, and utilizing available government programs.

Revolutionary step in poverty elimination

According to the President, PDM is a revolutionary step towards eradicating poverty among Ugandan households, especially at the grassroots.

“I’m very happy to see that youths who had never touched a million shillings are succeeding. This is what we envisioned when we introduced the PDM. It shows that our people are now understanding the importance of small-scale enterprise,” said the President.

He emphasised that the PDM is an evolution of long-standing NRM initiatives such as Entandikwa, NAADS, and Operation Wealth Creation, all of which laid the foundation for Uganda’s rural transformation. The difference, he noted, is that PDM sends money directly to the people, empowering them to drive their development.

“This model is not new. It stems from the 1996 NRM manifesto’s ‘four-acre model’ that included coffee, fruits, pasture for dairy, and food crops, with piggery or poultry in the backyard. What’s new is the direct financial empowerment of our people,” President Museveni added.

In recognition of Nampa’s success and as a way to further boost her enterprise, President Museveni pledged to buy her an acre of land worth shillings 60 million, a motorised three-wheeled vehicle (tuk-tuk) worth shillings 12 million, and dig a borehole in the village to alleviate water challenges.

He also gave shillings one million to each of the 10 PDM beneficiaries who attended the meeting.

Visible change

Nampa’s success story is not an isolated case. Across the Greater Mukono region (the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe, and Buvuma), PDM is creating visible change. A total of shillings 67.7 billion has already been disbursed out of the shillings 70.1 billion allocated to the region, reaching all 273 PDM SACCOs.

Additionally, each SACCO has received an extra shillings 50 million in the second tranche for the financial year 2024/25.

• Mukono with 88 SACCOs, received shillings 4.4 billion;
• Kayunga with 71 SACCOs, received 3.55 billion;
• Buvuma, with 38 SACCOs, received shillings 1.9 billion;
• Buikwe, with 31 SACCOs, received shillings 1.55 billion
• Lugazi municipality, with 20 SACCOs, received shillings 1 billion
• Njeru municipality, with 16 SACCOs, received shillings 800 million
• Mukono municipality, with 9 SACCOs, received shillings 450 million.
  
  

The event was also attended by the NRM vice-chairperson (Buganda region) Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi, micro-finance state minister Haruna Kasolo and PDM national co-ordinator Sozzi Galabuzi, among others.