Kikuube leaders reject poor quality OWC cassava cuttings

Kikuube, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local leaders in Buhimba town council, Kikuube district have rejected over 100 bags of cassava cuttings citing poor quality. The rejected cassava cuttings were delivered by Brice Ajuna, a domestic supplier under the Operation Wealth Creation program last week.

According to the local leaders, after inspecting the samples of the cassava cuttings thoroughly, they discovered that they were of poor quality and decided to reject them. They explained that some of the cassava cuttings had already started drying up and were unsuitable for planting. The leaders also claimed that on top of delivering poor quality cassava cuttings, the delivery arrived late.

Suzan Kabasindi, the Kikuube town council female councillor says that the supplier delivered the cuttings at the end of the planting season. She explains that given the unstable weather conditions in the district, such inputs should be brought in the first planting season to avoid uncertainty for the farmers.

Musa Mugisa, the Buhimba town council LC3 chairperson wondered why the contractor had failed to deliver supplies within the contract provisions. Kasanga Bigirwa, the Buhimba town council LC5 councillor asked the supplier to withdraw the poor-quality inputs to avoid wastage of tax payer’s money. He blamed the mess in the implementation of the OWC program on the lack of involvement of local leaders, technical officers, and beneficiaries in the selection of suppliers.

Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner condemned the supplier for supplying poor quality inputs, saying that he will ensure that he refunds the money for the rejected inputs.

Captain Benjamin Mugonzagane, the coordinator OWC Kikuube, said that his role is to receive and distribute the inputs, adding that the procurement is handled by the NAADS secretariat. Brice Ajuna, the supplier of the poor-quality cassava cuttings could not be reached for comment by the time of filing this story as his known phone number was switched off.

In October 2021, Masindi district authorities rejected 120,000 pineapple suckers supplied under the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) program, saying they are of poor quality. The pineapple suckers were delivered by Juliet Nyamahunge, who was contracted by Operation Wealth Creation. The suckers were meant for distribution to farmers in Miirya, Bwijanga, and Pakanyi sub-counties.

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