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Tag: NAADS

  • Court dismisses lawyer Kiconco’s quest for an interim injunction to halt investigation over his Shs39 billion tea farmers compensation accountability failure

    Court dismisses lawyer Kiconco’s quest for an interim injunction to halt investigation over his Shs39 billion tea farmers compensation accountability failure

    Commercial Court in Kampala has today dismissed an application for an interim and temporary injunction which Kiconco Katabaazi Patrick filed to stop COSASE and CIID from investigating his alleged theft of 39bn meant to pay arrears of Nursery bed farmers in Kigezi Region.

    The ruling on the main application for judicial review shall also be given on monday.

    Members of Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) had protested against Kiconco’s injuction seeking describing it as unconstitutional and against the powers of COSASE and CIID.

    They had warned the commercial court against granting Lawyer Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi, a partner with Pathways Advocates an interim and temporary injunction from being investigated over the failure to account for Shs39 billion meant for Kigezi region tea nursery bed operators.

    COSASE challenged Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi to produce documents confirming the payments of the said farmers after NAADS confirmed advancing effecting payments on the said matter.

    Kiconco Patrick

    When he appeared on COSASE, Kiconco could not give the proper answers need to exonerate him from being a dubious dealer.

    Kiconco’s Court injunction under Justice Stephen Mubiru who was under fire from COSASE not to grant the temporary injunction.

    After the Auditor General’s report that NAADS advanced Shs39 billion to Pathways Advocates to compensate tea nursery operators who had sued government for failure to procure their seedlings, Lawyer Kiconco Patrick Katabaazi was supposed to appear before parliament’s COSASE to account for the funds which he has since failed to do.

    The quest came after NAADS boss, Samuel Mugasi, tabled evidence that the agricultural body advanced funds to Pathways Advocates in two instalments of Shs27 billion and Shs12 billion.

    Kiconco’s sent one of his partners who the committee rejected and told him that they wanted Kiconco in person.

    He failed to appear before committee to respond to claims that his law firm, Pathways Advocates had received UGX 39bn from the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) to clear arrears owed to the farmers in Kigezi Region.

    Although counsel Kiconco Patrick Katabaazi finally bowed to pressure and appeared before the committee, he did not give proper explanation.

    After appearing before the committee late last month, Legislators found it difficult to extra the needed responses from the said query. This compelled the View Chairperson of the committee Hon. Lucy Akello, to hand Kiconco to Police.

    A large section of farmers in the region continue to insist that they have never received any payments calling on the paying party to produce proof of payments.

    The money in question came under the spot light a few weeks ago when COSASE started interrogating queries contained in Auditor General Report that NAADS spent UGX 7bn without a budget in Financial Year 2021/22.

    In the lead to his arrest, Kiconco claimed that his law firm had cleared said arrears which contradicts what the farmers are saying.

    This prompted committee to rule that criminal investigators take over the matter and report back to Parliament for further action.

    For any payments made, it must be receipted and documented and MPs are wondering why can’t Kiconco the receipts of the said payment.

    COSASE have warned that Kiconco and his Law firm Pathways must prove their innocence by allowing proper investigations rather than running to Courts for an injunction. Watch the space!!!

  • NAADS distributes planting materials for Food Security & household income worth UGX 41.1bn as second planting season begins

    NAADS distributes planting materials for Food Security & household income worth UGX 41.1bn as second planting season begins

    Following the start of the second crop season for 2021, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) is distributing planting materials to farmers with emphasis on crops that offer improvement on food security as well as household incomes.

    In line with the National Development Plan 3, Government through NAADS has committed Sh.41.1 billion to support interventions for wealth creation for procurement and distribution of planting materials including seeds and seedlings to farmers during the season. Distribution of the planting materials has already commenced with farmers in over 120 districts expected to benefit.

    The distribution follows the completion of a verification exercise for the seeds and seedlings that was conducted in different districts across the country by inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) working together with relevant NAADS and the District Local Governments officials.

    The planting materials being distributed for the second planting season of 2021 include; seed (maize, beans, sorghum) and vegetative planting materials (cassava, irish potatoes and bananas) specifically for promoting food security; as well as seedlings (citrus/oranges, mangoes, cashew nuts, apples) and pineapple suckers for the strategic commodities for improving household incomes. NAADS is distributing 2,573,509 kilograms of maize seed, including high yielding hybrid and open pollinated variety (OPV), to farmers through direct support to the District Local Governments/Municipalities and the Food Security Initiative for Constituencies with expected establishment of 257,350 acres of maize; as well as 833,333 kilograms of bean seed.

    Seed for both maize and beans is being provided mainly to promote food security but are also intended for boosting household incomes depending on the level of commercialization of these enterprises in the individual district/or regions. NAADS is also distributing, 87,174 bags of cassava cuttings to farmer beneficiaries across the country. An additional 75,000 bags of cassava cuttings will be distributed to 33 farmer cooperatives with 10,000 farmer members under the Government supported Gulu Archdiocese cassava commercialisation project that is spearheaded by the Gulu Catholic Archdiocese under the leadership of Archbishop, John Baptist Odama.

    Other planting materials being distributed include 344,828 banana tissue cultured materials 4,166 bags of irish potato seed and 100,000 kilograms of sorghum to ensure food security in the beneficiary districts. The sorghum seed is mainly for food security, targeting selected districts in Karamoja sub region including Moroto, Napak and Nakapiripirit In order to meet the agriculture commercialization objective of Government through promotion of strategic commodities, NAADS is also distributing 1,249,618 mango seedlings, 1,021,439 citrus seedlings, 167,000 apple seedlings, 149,216 cashew nuts seedlings and over a million pineapple suckers.

    Government support for fruit seedlings (citrus, mango, apple and pineapple) targets farmers and farmers’ groups in earmarked Area-based Commodity clusters within suitable agro ecological zones to aggregate production around emerging and existing processing facilities for agro industrialization. The NAADS interventions have been aligned with the Parish Development Model and the planting materials are being distributed to farmers were based on the priorities and demands expressed by the different District Local Governments.

    As the farmers begin to plant, the Executive Director NAADS, Dr. Samuel Mugasi, has advised farmers to ensure that their gardens/fields are well managed by adhering to proper agronomic practices, control of pests and diseases with support from the relevant technical agricultural officers in their respective Districts. Additionally, under the intervention on livestock under financial year 2021/2022, NAADS will provide farmers with stocking/livestock materials focusing on dairy heifers, improved pigs, improved poultry chicks and poultry feeds as well as fish fingerings & fish feeds.

    Government support under livestock is aimed at improving household nutrition and incomes and creating sources of improved breeds within the communities. The support for both poultry and fish material is intended to provide a start-up package for developing poultry and aquaculture enterprises.