By KT Reporter
The Uganda Communications Commission -UCC has donated 89 tablets to boost the efficiency in implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Kitgum District and municipality.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in partnership with the UCC, is providing brand-new tablets and solar panels to parishes, districts, Cities, Commercial Officers, Chief Administrative Officers, Town Clerks, and PDM Focal Persons across the country.
The initiative is a part of the broader efforts to integrate technology into Uganda’s development programs, ensuring that citizens, especially those in underserved areas, can benefit from the country’s digital transformation.
William Adrogu, a telecommunications engineer at UCC, said the donation marks a key step in the government’s efforts to digitize and streamline the delivery of services under the PDM, particularly in rural areas like Kitgum, which have long faced challenges related to technology access.
While handing over the tablets at the Kitgum District Council Hall, Adrogu warned the beneficiaries against personalizing the gadgets, saying they remain the property of the SACCOs and should be used by all the SACCO leaders.
“The gadget come with internet for six months. Use it to research on your businesses so that you grow further,” Adrogu said.
Habib Abubaker, the Kitgum district CAO said it had been challenging to get data on PDM for the SACCO leaders, which delayed writing of reports on the program.
“With these, there will be timely flow of information and work will become easy for us,” Abubaker said.
George Okwera, the chairperson of Pudo PDM SACCO in Kitgum district, expressed his gratitude, saying the technology would streamline their work.
“Before, we had to manually record everything, or borrow a smartphone from those who have, and there were often delays in reporting. Now, we will be able to update information in real time, which will help us serve the people of Kitgum much better,” Okwera said.
Faith Ocan, the Town Ward SACCO treasurer is optimistic that the SACCO’s work will flow without many glitches.
“I’m excited because my work will be easy as the tablet comes with internet; the phone I used before was small and could often freeze,” Ocan said.
Alex Opira, the PDM focal Point Person in Kitgum, noted that the implementation of PDM has been simplified ever since government started distributing gadgets.
This is the second Kitgum is getting tablets for PDM. Early this year, UCC handed over 165 tablets for the same purpose.
“The time it now takes to do profiling, appraisals and disbursement of funds has been shortened with the use of the gadgets, because the system we are using is a web-based.”
Records from the district indicates that kitgum has received 21,672 billion for PDM in the past four years, with beneficiaries clustered in 1,436 enterprise groups.
The PDM, launched by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, aims to transform Uganda’s rural economy by providing targeted interventions to lift rural households out of poverty.
It focuses on organizing economic activity at the parish level, ensuring that every parish in Uganda benefits from government programs aimed at boosting productivity, access to markets, and overall livelihoods.
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