"She is acting in bad faith"- Minister Musenero’s call for suspension of silk project rubbished

A call by the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Monica Musenero to have the silk farming project suspended has been rubbished by Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) saying she is acting in bad faith.

The Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Monica Musenero earlier this week recommended the suspension of the project saying it has led to loss of shs36 billion.

She noted that the project failed to materialize.

However, in a statement released on Wednesday, TRIDI Executive Director, Dr. Clet Wandui Masiga dismissed the claims by the minister noting they are unfounded.

“There is no misuse of funds at all. What is true is that we have disagreed with the minister on the dangerous direction she was driving the company, staff and the project hence she embarked on a mission of frustration, black mail, criminal activities and eventual suspension of funding without cause,” Dr. Wandui said.

He explained that the project model is guided by the baseline and feasibility study that was conducted in the financial year 2017/2018 which identified 10 entry districts and 40 other districts at project commercialization/expansion stage.

According to Dr.Wandui, they are using a nucleus farmer model approach.

“This model is a large farm unit (plantation, large-scale farm) which guarantees a certain minimum provision of raw material for a large scale processing plant or other downstream aggregation use, while the other part of the raw material is procured from smaller farmers who are linked throughout grower arrangement to the nucleus. In other words, this model combines both small- and large-scale farming and avoids large scale farming and reduces transport and communication costs, requires less land acquisitions and distributes wealth more equitably and ensures availability of raw materials to support agro-industrialization.”

He noted that by the end of the financial year 2021/2022, the project had completed construction of two shells for two research centres in Sheema and Mukono and had supported the establishment and management of 2000 acres of mulberry in 24 districts which will serve as sources of planting materials to serve 50 districts and as training and research sites.

“The project had also acquired additional 800 acres of land for establishment of silk factory and production of mulberry for silkworm rearing. Three more silk reeling and reeling machines were being manufactured and are now ready for shipping from China to Uganda. Installation of two modern factories was awaiting funds to be completed. Ten shells for rearing of silk worm were under construction in Mukono, Nwoya, Gomba, Mubende, Kween, Kitagata, Kiruhura, Busitema/Busia, Nakaseke, and Luwero.”

“ The project employed a total of 139 full time staff and 1300 casual workers who derive their livelihoods from the project. The project has also recruited graduate trainees to be allocated different project sites to offer technical support. 140 Ugandans are undergoing different trainings to work across the different activities in the silk value chain.”

Acting in bad faith

According to the TRIDI Executive Director, despite the achievements, the funds appropriated to the project by Parliament and released by the Ministry of Finance have not been released to the project since the beginning of this financial year.

He insisted that they disagreed with the direction Minister Musenero was driving them prompting what he termed as a mission “to frustrate, sabotage and destroy the project, and the staff and the implementing institution, Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI).”

“This is my minister and a decorated scientist so I expected that when we disagree there is a professional way to handle and settle these issues.  After realising that she had been summoned by the Prime Minister and we have taken her to court for frustration and causing economic waste, she decided to go to the media to black mail us, which is so unfortunate.”

“Since the matters are before court, Prime Minister, Solicitor General, we believe that the mentioned offices will intervene to settle the issues professionally. The public should know that the minister’s utterances are all false. She only needs to understand the design of the project and its objectives.”

Dr.Wandui explained that the  suspension of funds since the beginning of the financial year means that the tender mulberry cannot be maintained, the rearing houses cannot be completed or constructed, training of Ugandans to operate the installed machinery cannot be done as well as  clearing the payment of the machinery whose deposit of 30% has been done cannot be done and  that there shall be significant losses.

"Our current investment into the project is now estimated to be valued at shs73 billion . The funds are needed to support implementation of planned activities which include commercialization of mulberry establishment on established 2,000 acres, finalisation of procurement of 2300 acres of land in Bulambuli District for silk development, clearing the payment of machines for post coon processing, building of capacity for silk worm egg production and supply, completing the silkworm rearing house, the acquisition of post cocoon technologies and the establishment of mulberry plants to take advantage of the coming rain season and continuous management of tender stage of the established mulberry gardens. This project target was to create 300,000 jobs."