Kihamba Parish PDM Sacco chairperson under fire over extortion allegations

8 July 2025, 11:27

By Asuman Kyalisiima

Residents of Kihamba Parish in Kabweza Sub county, Kyegegwa District, are accusing Ms Nsungwa Clementinah, their PDM Sacco chairperson, of extorting money from intended beneficiaries and lacking transparency.

During a meeting held on Monday, 7 July, at Kihamba Trading Centre and chaired by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Kyegegwa, Colonel Alex Bright Nzirimu, members of Kihamba PDM Sacco accused Ms Nsungwa of working in isolation, forging signatures, and failing to convene meetings for beneficiaries to be vetted.

Other disgruntled locals called on the authorities to have Ms Nsungwa step aside as PDM Sacco chairperson, threatening to seek intervention from the President, who is the initiator of the programme.

However, during the meeting, the RDC of Kyegegwa, Colonel Alex Bright, tasked all the LCI chairpersons from Kihamba Parish to provide clarity, intending to verify whether the vetting meetings for PDM beneficiaries took place in their respective villages, which they confirmed.

Meanwhile, in her defence before the gathering, Nsungwa Clementinah dismissed all the claims made against her.

Robert Mugisa, the focal person for PDM in Kyegegwa, reminded locals of the project’s core pillars, which aim to help 39% of households transition from subsistence farming to the money economy. He warned people against misusing the funds by changing their selected enterprises.

In his address, Colonel Alex Bright Nzirimu urged the Sacco chairpersons to consistently adhere to the guidelines while implementing the project. He also directed an officer from Kyegegwa Central Police Station, who was present at the meeting, to initiate investigations into all alleged irregularities in the PDM project as reported by the locals.