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Ministry Denies Wamulugwa's Request to Meet BCU Leadership

18 November, 2024
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The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives has denied a request from John Francis Wamulugwa, the former Vice Chairman of Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU) to organize a meeting with the BCU leadership and management.


The meeting was scheduled for November 18, 2024, at Mbale Resort, but the purpose of the gathering was not clearly stated in Wamulugwa’s request.

Wamulugwa, who claims to be the current leader of the Bugisu Elders’ Council Caucus has sought permission to convene the meeting involving 100 elders from Bugisu. Robert Bariyo Barigye, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, rejected the request in a letter dated November 5, 2024.

He explained that his role is limited to overseeing cooperative societies and that the proposed delegates were not farmers, making them unsuitable for discussions related to BCU matters. Barigye advised Wamulugwa to seek help from the BCU board or the Ministry of Gender instead.

Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Chairperson of the BCU Board, dismissed Wamulugwa’s request, noting that it was part of a series of petitions—this being the 987th letter from Wamulugwa’s group. Mafabi emphasized that the proper forum for discussing BCU or farmer concerns is the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and criticized Wamulugwa’s group for not participating in their societies or contributing coffee to the union.

He urged Wamulugwa and his supporters to stop undermining each other and instead focus on constructive solutions to improve Bugisu. Mafabi stressed that BCU is committed to finding better markets for Bugisu coffee and prioritizing the needs of coffee farmers.

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