Mbale City, Uganda: The Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Northern Division, Mr. Were Yahaya, has accused agricultural extension workers of frustrating the Parish Development Model (PDM) by failing to offer critical technical support to farmers in Mbale City.
Yahaya made the remarks on Wednesday, July 30, during a monitoring exercise in Lwasso and Kiwunno wards, where he visited beneficiaries engaged in poultry, dairy, and coffee farming. He was accompanied by Dr. George Mangeni, the Mbale City Production Officer.
“The extension workers are not available in the field, yet they receive a government salary every month,” Yahaya told Daily Express. “They should leave the offices and motorcycles and go out to guide the beneficiaries, check the gardens, recommend good seeds, advise on spraying cattle and produce, and teach proper post-harvest storage.”
Yahaya warned that such negligence was eroding the intended impact of the PDM, which is meant to uplift farmers through enterprise-specific support.
Salim Munabi Wandera, a PDM beneficiary from Kibagala Cell in Kiwunno Ward, said he had invested in poultry and dairy cattle but received no technical visits or support from extension workers. “We were told they would help us improve production, but we haven’t seen them,” he said.
Mafabi Hussein, a coffee farmer from Magada Cell in Lwasso Ward, echoed similar concerns, describing a glaring disconnect between farmers and extension services. “If you don’t chase them down, you won’t get any help,” he said.
Dr. George Mangeni acknowledged the staffing challenge and commended the farmers’ resilience despite the gaps. He noted that about 80 percent of PDM beneficiaries had made commendable progress, especially in zero-grazing and other sustainable projects.
“Mbale City should not be viewed in its old structure. It was expanded after annexing two town councils and rural sub-counties,” said Dr. Mangeni.
“Our current staff is overwhelmed, and many farmers are in hard-to-reach hilly areas. We need to recruit more extension workers because the current number is insufficient to meet demand.”
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