Buganda premier Mayiga takes coffee planting drive, HIV fight to Buvuuma

BUVUMA - Buganda kingdom premier (Katikkiro) Charles Peter Mayiga has arrived on Buvuuma Island for a three–day tour in a bid to enhance health and agriculture under the Emwanyi Terimba project.

Mayiga, who arrived on February 9, 2026, was accompanied by Buganda cabinet ministers Hajji Amisi Kakomo and Noah Kiwimba, Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) commissioner Dr Stephen Watiti and UAC zonal co-ordinator Mary Namuyomba.

During his stay on the Island, Katikkiro Mayiga is expected to visit Buvuuma Health Centre IV and address the residents, including fisher folks at Kasaali landing site, coffee farmer Agnes Nasuuna, Silver Waswa.

Katikkiro Mayiga speaks

While at Buvuuma Palm Resort, Mayiga said the Emwanyi Terimba campaign has been embraced across the country, making Uganda the leading coffee exporter on the African continent.  

He added that coffee growing is a viable agricultural venture because it has improved people’s living standards.  

While at Buvuuma Palm Resort, Mayiga said the Emwanyi Terimba campaign has been embraced across the country, making Uganda the leading coffee exporter on the African continent. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

“We shall carry on with the campaign to ensure many people participate in coffee growing while ensuring good coffee quality not to affect the price,” he said.

In regard, women, youth and co-operatives have been encouraged to embrace coffee growing.

Mayiga added that they will scale up the campaign to raise standards of farmers by focusing on visiting model homesteads with clean water, good hygiene and sanitation conditions.

“The campaign will cover coffee but also ensure people’s standards of living are uplifted regardless of the economic ventures they engage in,” Katikkiro Mayiga noted.

HIV and AIDS fight

He said the campaign will also focus on fighting HIV/AIDS. Katikkiro Mayiga described HIV as a dangerous health issue given that people contract it without knowing the health status of their partners.

Besides, scourge has an economic impact because when individuals are HIV-positive and are ill they cannot work and sustain their lives.

The Kabaka is a goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV /AIDS, a role he has accepted from UNAIDS.

According to Mayiga, the Kingdom will continue with the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially among fishermen who indulge extensively and contract HIV.

Watiti said HIV is greatly associated with poverty, reasoning that poor individuals are vulnerable to contracting HIV.

He urged the general public to heed the call of Katikkiro Mayiga and the Government to plant coffee.

The HIV burden

In 2024, Uganda recorded 37,000 new HIV infections and 20,000 AIDS-related deaths. By December 2024, an estimated 1.5 million Ugandans were living with HIV.

However, there is persistently high HIV prevalence levels in districts such as Kyotera topping the list with 12.6%, followed by Kalangala with 12.0% and Buvuma at 4%, which borders the lake.