Namisindwa, Uganda: Parish Chiefs and Town Agents in Namisindwa District have petitioned district leadership over the delayed payment of Shs179.3 million in allowances, warning that the situation is already affecting service delivery under key government programmes.
In a March 16, 2026, petition addressed to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the officials said they have not received their Parish Development Committee (PDC) and housing allowances for the second and third quarters of the 2025/2026 financial year, despite submitting all required payment requisitions.
The Parish Chiefs referenced an earlier letter dated January 20, 2026 requesting facilitation, noting that although the district reportedly received funds for the second quarter, payments have not been effected.
According to the district Parish Chiefs Chairperson, Willy Namanda, each of the 163 Parish Chiefs and Town Agents is entitled to Shs250,000 for PDC allowances and Shs300,000 for housing per quarter.
This translates to Shs89.65 million per quarter, bringing the cumulative unpaid amount for two quarters to Shs179.3 million.
Namanda warned that the delay has exposed the officers to pressure from both PDC members and landlords, complicating their work at the grassroots. “The delay to pay us our allowances has made our work very difficult because both the PDC members and landlords are on our neck… which is affecting service delivery in the parishes,” he said.
Copies of the petition were also submitted to key district officials including the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), District Internal Security Officer (DISO), LC5 Chairperson, District Planner and the PDM Focal Person seeking urgent intervention.
RDC office responds
When contacted, Elijah Madoi confirmed receipt of the concerns and pledged to engage the district’s technical leadership to resolve the matter.
“We have received the concerns… and my office will follow up with the district leadership to establish the cause of the delay and ensure it is handled,” Madoi said.
He emphasized that Parish Chiefs are critical to implementing the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other government programmes at the grassroots. “These officers are key in monitoring and supervising government programmes at the parish level, so their facilitation must be handled in time.”
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Namisindwa Chief Administrative Officer were still ongoing by press time. The protest highlights growing concerns over delayed facilitation of frontline implementers of government programmes, raising questions about the efficiency of service delivery at parish level.
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