There is excitement at Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU) following a decision by two delegates formerly opposed to the Nathan Nandala Mafabi-led board to bury their hatchets. They are Muhamad Nabuyobo from the Budwale primary society and Swalike Nambuye from the Bubyetse primary society, both in the Central Upper Zone.
The two were part of the four delegates led by John Wamulugwa from Nagawoya Primary Society who opposed Nandala’s elections in 2015 as the BCU board chairperson. The other delegate was Gibson Gidagwe from Nashelo Primary Society in the Bugusege Zone. The four have been opposing the Nandala-led board and filled dozens of petitions with various petitions with numerous government agencies and bodies alleging financial impropriety at the union.
During a recent BCU Annual General Meeting, the Minister of Cooperatives Henry Gume expressed his frustration with the four delegates for persistently petitioning his office with unsubstantiated allegations of financial mismanagement within the union. He urged the petitioners to reconcile with the union’s leadership and work together for the development of BCU, as the government found no evidence of financial misappropriation.
He referred to the four as individuals with ulterior motives, calling upon farmers to distance themselves from them. In December 2022, Dominic Gidudu, the Minister for the Elderly met with the petitioners at Mount Elgon Hotel and requested them to stop the petitions and reconcile with the BCU leadership without success. In a recent interview, Nabuyobo stated that he and a colleague have decided to set aside their differences and collaborate with the current BCU board to develop Bugisu.
He explained that the parliamentary committee on cooperatives audited all cooperatives at the Mbale District Local Government Office last month in Malukhu, and found BCU to be in compliance. He said this further supports their decision to cease the ongoing dispute. Swalike Nambuye from Bubyetse primary society expressed exhaustion from fighting Nandala’s leadership for eighteen years.
The duo noted that their two remaining colleagues, John Wamulugwa from Nagawoya Primary Society in the Sironko Valley Zone, and Gibusn Gidagwe from Nashelo Primary Society in the Bukusege Zone, still harbor personal reasons for opposing Nandala and his board.
Isaiah Sasaga Wanzira, the Director of Sironko Valley Zone, welcomed the decision by the two delegates and urged their remaining colleagues to follow the same path rather than persist with the dispute against the union’s leadership. He noted that Nagawoya primary society, where Wamulugwa comes from, no longer exists after farmers nullified it due to failure to deliver coffee to the Bugisu Cooperative Union.
John Musila, the BCU board vice chairperson said that they would continue to serve farmers without the two hesitant delegates. He emphasized that the board has maintained transparency and integrity. Musila pledged to work with the two members who have decided to collaborate for the benefit of the union and farmers. Efforts to reach the two remaining petitioners for comment were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to repeated calls by the time of filing this story.
