Another coordinator of the National Agriculture Advisory Services in Masaka is in trouble over the use of the program's funds. More than 100 farmers from Kimanya-Kyabakuza Division in Masaka town have filed a petition for their area NAADS coordinator, Eve Luvumu. The petition sent to the Masaka LC5 chairman, accuses Luvumu of inflating purchase prices, providing sub-standard farm inputs and stealing NAADS funds. Lukyamuzi Bamulanzeeki, the Masaka officer in charge of monitoring government programs, says Kimanya-Kyabakuza received 20 million shillings for NAADS work. The money was to be used to construct chicken houses and pig sties. The rest was intended to procure cassava cutting and pineapple stems to be distributed to farmers in the Division. Bamulanzeeki says about 80 percent of the work was never done. He says the few pig sties built were too poorly constructed to be used //Cue in: iWe found out #i Cue out: i# existing.i// Haruna Mutaawe is a member of Kidawalime Farmers Group, which was supposed to benefit from NAADS. He says the group expected to receive 12 sacks of cassava cuttings and 2,000 pineapple stems, but it only received one sack of cassava cuttings. Mutaawe claims that no research was done to establish the validity of farmers groups that did receive their expected allotment. He says many of them do not have the capacity to utilize money or farming inputs given to them. //Cue in: iThere is need #i Cue out: i#that quality.i// The Masaka LC5 chairman, Vincent Sempijja, has directed a team of district officials to investigate the matter and report back to him in two weeks. Eve Luvumu, the accused NAADS coordinator, insists that she has done nothing wrong. She says all the funds disbursed were budgeted for and she is ready to explain the use of program money given to her.
Edward Bindhe
Freelancer