KAMPALA — A public disagreement has emerged among government officials over the arrest of a suspect accused of embezzling funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM), after Minister of State for Local Government Justine Nameere rejected requests to release the suspect despite reported intervention from fellow ministers.
The dispute centers on Mr. Ntale, chairperson of the Misali group, who is accused of embezzling UGX 42 million intended for beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model, the government’s flagship poverty alleviation programme. He is also reportedly facing separate allegations linked to the Emyooga initiative.
According to accounts circulating on social media and widely shared by government supporters, Nameere ordered the suspect’s arrest during a monitoring exercise after receiving complaints about the alleged misuse of PDM funds.
During the arrest, Nameere reportedly received a phone call from State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs Balaam Barugahara, who conveyed a request from State Minister for Microfinance Haruna Kasolo asking that the suspect be released because of his links to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
However, Nameere is said to have declined the request, insisting that anyone accused of stealing public funds should face the law regardless of political affiliation.
According to reports, Nameere challenged Kasolo to personally guarantee the suspect if he believed he was innocent, maintaining that government efforts to fight corruption should not be undermined by political influence.
Neither Barugahara nor Kasolo had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication, and there was no official statement from the Uganda Police Force or the Office of the Prime Minister confirming the details of the reported exchange.
The incident has nevertheless sparked debate on social media, with many Ugandans questioning whether political interference continues to hamper accountability in government programmes intended to uplift poor households.
The Parish Development Model, launched in 2022, is the government’s flagship strategy for moving households from subsistence to the money economy by channeling funds directly to parish-level enterprises. Each parish receives revolving funds to support income-generating activities among organized beneficiary groups.
The government has repeatedly warned against the misuse of PDM resources. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed security agencies and accounting officers to pursue individuals who divert or embezzle funds meant for beneficiaries, arguing that corruption undermines efforts to reduce poverty.
Similarly, the Emyooga programme, launched in 2019 to provide affordable credit to organized groups, has faced several cases of alleged fraud and mismanagement, prompting investigations and recoveries in different parts of the country.
The reported standoff between the ministers comes at a time when the government has intensified oversight of wealth creation programmes, with officials insisting that public funds must reach intended beneficiaries if Uganda is to achieve its socio-economic transformation goals.
As of Tuesday, authorities had not announced whether formal charges had been filed against the suspect, and investigations into the alleged embezzlement were understood to be ongoing.