Bureaucratic delays are threatening the planned expansion of the National Vegetable Oil Development Project (NVODP) to Kyamuswa County in Kalangala District, frustrating local leaders and prospective oil palm farmers.
In November 2023, while touring the district, President Yoweri Museveni announced the allocation of UGX 52 billion—government dividends from the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust—to support the project's extension to Kyamuswa County. The initiative was intended to boost livelihoods in the district's outlying islands.
These dividends were drawn from the government's co-investment with Oil Palm Uganda Limited (OPUL), dating back to 2005 when the project first launched in Kalangala. The funds were meant to provide soft loans to communities in Kyamuswa for inputs such as oil palm seedlings, fertilizers, herbicides, and tools, forming the basis for establishing a network of out growers.
But two years later, leaders and residents say there has been no tangible progress. Resty Nakawungu, the Kalangala District Vice Chairperson and Councilor for Bukasa Sub-county, says the delays have deeply disappointed residents.
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She notes that the community had started preparing land in anticipation of the project rollout and were further encouraged by the planned provision of a ferry service between Buggala and Kyamuswa Islands. However, Nakawungu says all efforts are currently stalled, blaming sluggish implementation by the Ministry of Agriculture.
“We moved fast as the local government and formed a Project Steering Committee to coordinate early activities, but the Ministry has let us down,” she said. Franklin Kayemba, a prospective palm oil farmer on Bufumira Island, echoed these concerns.
“We have waited for so long, and nobody is giving us proper explanations about the delay. The biggest challenge is that seedlings are not readily available—maybe we would have started mobilising using our resources,” he said.
Kalangala District Woman MP, Hellen Nakimuli, attributes the setback to administrative conflicts between the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture.
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Nakimuli suspects that internal power struggles and possible self-interest among officials could be at play, resulting in delays that continue to demoralize the intended beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Kalangala Resident District Commissioner Fred Badda says he has engaged the Office of the President to help break the deadlock.
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Badda has also requested a site visit with the Minister of Agriculture to stress the urgency of the project, describing the delay as highly unusual and harmful to the community’s expectations.
