Government has ordered another inquest into the management of Bugisu Cooperative Union—BCU. The inquiry which is to last for the next three months follow a similar one whose findings are yet to be made public.
Government in December 2010 suspended the Bugisu Cooperative Union board led by Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the leader of the opposition in parliament. It instituted a commission of inquiry which investigated the alleged mismanagement of the union. The findings of the commission have to-date not been made public.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Amelia Kyambadde, announced on Tuesday that another commission is to be instituted to re-investigate the state of the affairs at the union.
Kyambadde said the commission which it to begin work immediately, will probe how the union has been managed from 1996 to date to find out the root cause of the conflict that has bedeviled BCU. She however did not explain why government is forming another commission, despite the fact that findings from previous enquiries have not been made public.
Some farmers from Bugisu region have reacted angrily to the minister’s directive for another commission of inquiry.
The farmers claim that it is part of government scheme to continue meddling in the affairs of the union. They wondered why government is coming up with another commission without releasing the findings of a previous one that was carried out between January and March this year.
John Walugwa, a farmer from Mbale claimed that government is just playing games instead of finding a lasting solution to the problems affecting the union. He claimed that the previous commission which investigated the alleged mismanagement of the union only came up with a four page report which was rejected by both the farmers and government.
Michael Mafabi, another farmer suspects that government might be trying to cover up something by instituting another commission before releasing the report of another probe in which taxpayers lost money.
Kyambadde has ordered members of the suspended board of the union to immediately handover office to the caretaker manager.
Wrangles among top management and government’s interference have halted work at Bugisu cooperative union over the past one year.
Some of the projects it had started like opening up an FM radio station to mobilize farmers to practice better agricultural practices have grounded.
