Prime
Outrage over cash to teach people how to drink coffee
The coffee booths that have been abandoned in Arua City. PHOTO/CLEMENT ALUMA
What you need to know:
- As of now the intention to sue still stands, but I think Mr Kabushenga is having a lot of social media time, we shall not engage him through what he can do best as of now (use of Social media),” Francis Harimwomugasho, one of Mr NelsonTugume’s lawyers.
Just four months after the Speaker of Parliament ordered an independent investigation into the alleged mismanagement of government funds amounting to Shs9.6b meant to, among others, train people on how to drink coffee, a row has erupted among some coffee sector players over the same.
Likewise, in the 2021 report, the Auditor General observed that: “M/S Inspire Africa (U) Limited was paid Shs1.9b (under item 2: Consumption of Coffee) for setting up coffee shops and the attendant infrastructure in Arua, Mbale, Lira, Gulu and Tororo.”
“However, from my [AG] physical inspection, I noted that except in Gulu, the coffee shops were either nonexistent or nonoperational in the areas where they were supposed to be placed,” the AG added.
The latest rift involves two commercial coffee farmers, Mr Robert Kabushenga of Rugyeyo Farm and Mr Nelson Tugume, the chairman of Inspire Africa Coffee Limited.
Through his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Mr Kabushenga last Friday, accused Mr Tugume of misappropriating public funds worth $20m (about Shs75.5b ) for coffee-related activities.
On the same day, Mr Tugume through his lawyers,AHAMARK Advocates, asked Mr Kabushenga to retract his statements .
“Your statements taken alone or together, convey the false impression that our client [Nelson Tugume] misallocated $20m, contrary to the facts,” the intention to sue letter, read in part.
When contacted on January 14, Mr Kabushenga insisted that he was not retracting anything, and neither is he willing to apologise to Mr Tugume despite the notice to sue him.
Mr Francis Harimwomugasho, one of Mr Tugume’s lawyers told this publication at the weekend:“As of now the intention to sue still stands, but I think Mr Kabushenga is having a lot of social media time, we shall not engage him through what he can do best as of now (use of Social media).”
Between 2017 and 2018, the Office of the Prime Minister signed a memorandum of understanding with Inspire Africa (U) Limited to train farmers on coffee production, put up coffee shops, among others .
