Pallisa, Uganda: Former Agule County Member of Parliament Hon David Ochwa has embarked on large-scale commercial farming and private business ventures after losing his parliamentary seat in the recent elections.
Ochwa, who represented Agule County under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), lost the constituency race to fellow NRM candidate Josephine Ibaseret, ending his return bid to Parliament.
Now away from active parliamentary life, the former legislator says he has shifted focus to agriculture, education investments and entrepreneurship, insisting that life after politics should not be viewed as failure.
Speaking during an interaction at his home in Pasia East Cell, Agule Town Council in Pallisa District, Ochwa reflected on his political journey and future plans outside Parliament.
“My pride to the people of Agule is that they employed me to serve them and I did not take that opportunity for granted,” Ochwa said.
“Politics is not the only way to survive”
The former MP revealed that his biggest investment remains Agule Institute of Health Sciences and Management, which he established in 2013 after lobbying stakeholders in the education sector to help address shortages of health workers in the region.
The institution, which started as a nursing and midwifery school, has since expanded and now employs more than 80 people in both skilled and unskilled jobs.
“The institute has indirectly helped the community through training health workers, creating jobs and providing a market for local produce,” Ochwa explained.
Employees at the institution include tutors, electricians, cooks, gardeners, drivers, security personnel and administrative staff.
Beyond education, Ochwa says he has now fully embraced commercial agriculture inspired partly by President Museveni’s long-standing campaign encouraging leaders to establish four-acre model farms.
Coffee, bananas and poultry
The former legislator revealed that he is investing heavily in coffee growing, banana plantations, poultry and fruit farming including oranges, mangoes, avocados and red pepper.
He also plans to expand into maize, cassava and bean production. “In the next six months I will start harvesting about one tonne of coffee, fruits and vegetables which already have a ready market at my institute,” he said.
Ochwa explained that Agule Institute alone consumes about 200 kilograms of posho and 50 kilograms of beans daily, forcing him to source food supplies from Bugisu and Busoga due to inadequate local production.
Apart from farming, he is also constructing a petrol station, supermarket and a 24-room self-contained lodge in Agule Town Council.
“Losing Parliament has advantages too”
Although acknowledging the financial and social impact of losing a parliamentary seat, Ochwa says the experience has also opened new opportunities. “To be honest, losing a parliamentary position has its disadvantages, but one should focus on the advantages that are outside Parliament,” he noted.
“When I was in Parliament, I spent at least Shs5 million every week on social functions, fundraising, helping patients, transporting mothers and supporting students.”
“But now I am back with the people as a farmer like many of them, and life continues.”
Ochwa also dismissed suggestions that losing elections automatically means political or personal failure. “Some people think politics is the only way of survival and serving. That is not true,” he said.
He cited former Opposition Leader Prof. Ogenga Latigo and several former legislators who have successfully ventured into farming and business after leaving Parliament.
Community leaders praise him
Local leaders and residents praised Ochwa for investing in projects that continue to benefit the community despite his electoral defeat.
Julius Tukei said Ochwa’s businesses have created employment opportunities and stimulated economic activity in Agule. “The workers at Agule Institute alone earn over Shs20 million monthly in salaries, which boosts the local economy.”
Agule Town Council LCIII Chairperson Simon Okia said the institute’s more than 1,000 students and workers have transformed business in the area.
“When students are on recess, vendors and shopkeepers immediately feel the impact because business slows down,” Okia explained.
Despite stepping away from elective politics for now, Ochwa said he remains committed to mobilising support for the NRM party as the district’s party secretary general. “I embraced the NRM ideology in 1989 while still a student and I remain committed to the party,” he said.
Ochwa served as Agule County MP between 2011 and 2016 before losing to Francis Mukula in the 2016 elections. He says he respected the will of voters both then and now.
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