Nandala vows to protect BCU properties, refutes Museveni claims

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Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential flagbearer Nathan Nandala Mafabi has dismissed President Yoweri Museveni’s claims that he mismanaged and ran the Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU) into debt.

Nandala was responding to a story published in New Vision on Wednesday (November 5), in which President Museveni, while addressing supporters in Ngora district, alleged that Mafabi’s leadership left the Union heavily indebted.

Speaking during a press briefing, Nandala described the claims as completely unfounded and accused the NRM team of lacking proper information about the Union’s history.

Nandala described the claims as completely unfounded and accused the NRM team of lacking proper information about the Union’s history. (Credit: Alfred Ochwo)

“I came to Bugisu Cooperative Union on April 7, 2008, and properties were sold on April 2, a few days after it had already been run down by the NRM government using their man called Omuruko. The Union had debts exceeding $5 million, which were incurred before my tenure. The people responsible were all from NRM,” he said.

He revealed that when he assumed leadership, BCU had stopped buying coffee from farmers for over five years and most of its properties had been sold off cheaply under questionable circumstances.

“This same group are the one who sold our Mt Elgon Hotel. No, the Mt Elgon Hotel was just a corporate venue. This same group sold part of our Samaga Estate and Namakwekwe Estate. This same group sold our prime plots in the centre of town. One of them was sold to the NRM chairman of Sironko at sh40 million,” he noted.

“They had even sold the Union’s land at Doko at only sh5 million per acre, prime land in the middle of the city, which costs over sh100 million, and the Mt Elgon Hotel. That land was sold before I became chairman. We went to court and won the case because those people had no authority to sell it,” Nandala explained.

Mafabi (centre) with Amuriat (left) during the brief. (Credit: Alfred Ochwo)

He accused NRM-sponsored individuals aligned with the ruling party of mismanaging the cooperative’s assets, selling estates such as Samaga and Namakwekwe, and disposing of prime plots in Mbale town for as little as sh40 million per acre.

According to Mafabi, when his team took over, they worked to rebuild the Union from scratch by mobilising farmers and clearing outstanding debts of sh1.78 billion left by the previous administration.

However, he said their progress was disrupted in December 2010 when the government allegedly deployed security forces to take over the Union’s coffee stores and houses ahead of the 2011 elections.

“They grabbed our coffee and houses, causing losses worth over sh40 billion. We went to court, and in Petition No. 46 of 2012, the court ruled in 2021 that the government had no authority to take over a private entity,” Nandala stated.

He challenged President Museveni to produce any evidence showing his involvement in the sale of BCU land or property.

“Let him show the people of Uganda where I signed any sale agreement because I was the chairman, and it must have my signature if I had sold anything. I wasn’t there when his people took the land. If he is confident, let him come to Mbale with his documents, and I will come with mine,” Mafabi declared.

Nandala reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the Bugisu Cooperative Union’s properties and legacy, saying they belong to the farmers of Bugisu, not to politicians.

“BCU is the sweat of our farmers. I will not allow anyone, not even the President, to take it again. They have run down all other cooperatives, and they feel bad that this is still standing and strong. We will protect it,” he vowed.