By Tenywa Alexander
In the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes 5:5 says “It’s better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfil it”. However, President Museveni has not kept true to that particular biblical teaching, according to his December 2020 address to NRM party leaders from the Busoga sub-region at Iganga Municipal Council primary school during his scientific political campaign, the political veteran from Rwakitura told leaders that his government will sort out the sugar cane issues in the region. This breathed in new hopes for sugar cane farmers when they heard of a presidential promise of a mill that can enable them to crash their own sugar cane.
To emphasize this development, NRM manifesto 2021-2026 page 34 on its way forward on sugarcane, stipulated that Uganda Development Cooperation (UDC) to work with Busoga Sugarcane Growers Association to set up a sugar factory in the Busoga sub-region using the Atiak model, but still in vain.
Many political researchers have fronted sugarcane issues as to the main reason why the NRM party performed poorly in the 2021 presidential polls which I think is true until that sugarcane question is solved.
The government of Uganda finalized plans to construct a 135 billion shillings sugar processing factory in Luuka district. Uganda Development Cooperation was in charge of supervising the implementation of the construction work through direct financing from the Ministry of Finance.
This was to be in the fulfilment of President Museveni’s campaign pledges to construct two farmer-owned sugar processing factory plants in Busoga aimed at reducing the challenge of excess sugar cane with Busoga sub-region and exploitation from the big and foreign investors.
The above was revealed by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija while addressing the political leaders and stakeholders within in Busoga sub-region who were in attendance for a leadership seminar at Civil Service College Jinja City aftermath of the 2021 general polls.
On the same occasion, Minister Matia tasked leaders in Busoga to embrace the project and avoid grappling amongst themselves urging that such tendencies would threaten to slow down construction work which came true with politics at play.
Fulfilment of the presidential pledge on the sugar processing factory in Busoga has continued to become a Busoga anthem sung on the coronation anniversaries of the Kyabazinga, HRH Nadiope William Gabula IV starting with the 6th coronation held in Jinja City on 13th September 2020.
For the betterment of the Busoga sub-region, this anthem should continue to be sung even in the forthcoming 10th Coronation slatted 13th of September this year in the Buyende district.
Recently, the State House Controller, Jane Barekye, acknowledged that the State House is struggling to manage the overwhelming number of Presidential donations, with even ministers continuously sending her chits of demands from their constituencies during Cabinet meetings.
Barekye made these remarks on 13th August 2024 while appearing before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee. She was responding to concerns raised by MPs over the numerous Presidential pledges that have remained outstanding for years, causing frustration and unrest in their constituencies.
All political leaders under the umbrella of Busoga Consortium Development from national patron Her excellent Rtd Jesca Alupo, supervising minister Honorable Raphael Magyezi, ministerial coordinator chair the Rt.honerable Nakadama Rukia, stakeholders assembly governor Honourable Wakaze Simon,mr.Godfrey Biriwali chair of Greater Busoga Sugarcane Farmers Union and other stakeholders should come up with an immediate plan on how the two sugar processing factories as pledged by President Yoweri Museveni can be attained before the next polls otherwise we are heading for a heated-up political season where power belongs to the people.
Busoga Sub-region a home to five sugarcane processing factories namely Kakira Sugar Works, Mayuge Sugar Industries Limited, Bugiri Sugar, Kaliro Sugar and Kamuli Sugar. However, farmers still grapple with challenges of excess sugar cane, unfair prices, politics and capitalist aggression by millers to fail out growers and upcoming millers like CN sugar limited plant whose construction work was underway at Kifuyo village in Namayingo district was halted early July this year on orders of Trade Minister Mwebesa, a decision that left many unemployed and calls for presidential interventions since it’s a direct fight against his daily song of industrialization.
The writer is a journalist based in Busoga, Eastern Uganda
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