The parish development model and women’s socio-economic status: a case of Kyebando Parish, Kawempe Division, Kampala

Abstract

The Parish Development Model (PDM) is Uganda’s latest attempt at making devolution work for local development, economic transformation, and social inclusion. This study examined the effect of the PDM on women’s socio-economic empowerment in Kyebando Parish, Kampala. The specific objectives of the study were: To explore how value addition in key growth opportunities under PDM has enhanced women’s status in Kyebando Parish. To analyze how private sector capacity strengthening under PDM has driven growth and job Creation for women in Kyebando Parish. To investigate the extent to which PDM has enhanced the productivity of women in Kyebando Parish Using a cross-sectional design, the study used a mixed-methods approach and surveyed 159 women-led PDM group members. Also, six key informant interviews and the study conducted Four FGDs of which Two were for Men and Two for women PDM Groups with each group containing six members and the sessions were moderated by the researcher. The study concludes that while the PDM has contributed meaningfully to women’s economic empowerment in Kyebando Parish, its transformative potential can be fully realized through more flexible enterprise models, improved institutional coordination, and gender-responsive support systems. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, development practitioners, and community leaders seeking to enhance inclusive and sustainable development through localized economic empowerment initiatives. The current study recommends that household incomes are achievable through access to commodity markets, increased production and productivity of agricultural and non-agricultural commodities. This can be done by organizing farmer/community groups into clusters/associations and supporting them to reliably, consistently and effectively engage in bulking and marketing of high-quality/standard commodities.