Mubende leaders slam UCDA over corruption
Kassambya Town Council mayor Moses Buwembo has expressed concerns over allegations that officials of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) engaged in corruption while implementing proper coffee harvesting in the area.
Mayor Buwembo said many farmers who found practicing improper coffee harvesting were asked pay some money by UCDA staffs.
"I want UCDA officials who are here to note that your staff are corrupt and you can imagine they ask our farmers a bribe Shs200,000 whenever they inspecting coffee harvesting and this has caused the poor quality of coffee produce in our area," he said.
Buwembo was speaking at the launch of SEMCO Coffee Factory in Kassambya, Mubende District, on Thursday.
He slammed UCDA for alleged failure to fulfill the promises of coffee seedlings to farmers.
"Our people dug holes and you failed to give them coffee seedlings, please stop promising people what you can not fulfill," Buwembo added.
According to Fred Kisakye, the production officer for Mubende, the district needs more than two million coffee seedlings to be distributed to farmers with ready coffee holes.
"Our people dug coffee holes three seasons ago, we request the government to intervene in this matter because we emphasized our farmers to prepare their gardens but nothing we are seeing," Kisakye said.
UCDA western regional manager Mathew Katashu Kwikiriza said the government halted distribution of coffee seedlings to farmers and advised them to use Parish Development Model seed capital to buy seedlings.
"Our farmers used to mismanaged seedlings, that's why the government halted the distribution and the President encouraged them to go for Parish Development Model," Kwikiriza said.
On the issue of corrupt UCDA workers, he advised farmers and coffee traders to report such incidents to police.
"When you see someone involving themselves in any corrupt tendency, report them to Police because we want to improve coffee quality production," he added.
Mubende District is known for coffee farming and more than 70 percent of the population involved in agriculture are into coffee farming.
