Story by Osuta Yusuf.
Maracha District.
Friday 25-October-2024.
The LC3 Chairperson for Awiziru Sub-county, in Maracha Constituency, Maracha District, Hon Saul Abiriga has allegedly conned a 75-Years-Old mzee, Andrua Simon in Otravu village, Oluvu Parish in Awiziru Sub-county by using his National ID to get 900,000 Shs from Parish Development Model program and he said to have eaten the money all without giving him a mere 50,000 or 20,000 Shs.
In 2022 when the Parish Development Model was first launched as several sacco groups and members in Maracha District and in other Districts of Uganda started benefiting from the program, for a 75 years old barren and a disabled Mzee Andrua Simon, it is a nightmare after his own leader, the LC3 Chairman for Awiziru Sub-county has been accused of using him as a bait to get the money from the bank.
The helpless Andrua Simon in Otravu Village, Oluvu Parish whom the LC3 Chairperson registered in Magoba Enterprise Sacco group said, Hon Saul Abiriga came to his home in 2022 and told him that, since they aren’t allowed as LC3 Chairpersons to benefit from the PDM project, he is going to use his position of being the LC3 Chairperson to help him in making sure he gets the PDM Money.
He took him to be registered in a sacco group, took him to take passport photograph, signed all the documents and weeks later they proceeded to the bank in Arua City to withdraw 900,000 Shs, only for him to get surprised that, the LC3 Chairperson took all the money for himself.
Mzee Andrua stressed that, after several of his complains in the village about the incident, the LC3 Chairman came to him some months ago and promised to start paying him the money in installment, with the first installment to be 100,000 Shs but to date, Hon Saul Abiriga has not fulfilled his promise.
“I eat food once in a day and I don’t have a wife or my own biological children who can help me”, Mzee Andrua added with tears as he requests for the government and well wishers to come to his rescue.
The LC2 Chairperson for Oluvu Parish, Mr Opima Joel stated that he tried to raise the problem in bigger offices but to date, the disabled Mzee Andrua Simon has not been helped in that situation.
Mr Vezio Juliano, a paternal brother to the disabled Mzee Andrua Simon, who condemned the action of the LC3 Chairman, noted that the situation Samuel Andrua lives in is so miserable because he can’t work or look for food to feed himself.
Much as the money was withdrawn from the bank in 2022, Hon Saul Abiriga the LC3 Chairperson for Awiziru Sub-county whom we contacted via a telephone call on Thursday 24-October-2024 for a comment over the issue confirmed that, indeed he went with Mzee Andrua Simon a PDM beneficiary in his Sub-county to withdraw 900,000 Shs but he has been keeping the money in the bank since then upto date because they are yet to sit down as family members to decide on what kind of business or investment they can plan for him since he is in that condition.
Hon Saul further stated that, even if Mzee Andrua Simon wants his 900,000 Shs PDM money to be given to him today, he can give it because he has money in the bank and he also became rich when he wasn’t yet an LC3 Chairperson, but, his only worry is on if that money would not make the disabled mzee to die by drinking himself off with alcohol.
