Nandala pledges to allocate 10 percent of national budget to agriculture

SOROTI, November 10, 2025 — James Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the presidential flag bearer for the Forum for Democratic Change [FDC], has pledged to revitalise Uganda’s agriculture sector by allocating 10 percent of the national budget to it, a move he said would restore life to a sector that has “limped” under the National Resistance Movement [NRM] government.

The Maputo Declaration on Agriculture [2003] urges African nations to allocate at least 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture and to achieve 6 percent annual growth in agricultural productivity. However, not many governments on the continent have met this target.

In Uganda, agriculture’s share of the national budget has remained below 5 percent over the decades. In the 2023/24 financial year, the sector received Shs 2.2 trillion, representing just 4.2 percent of the total budget, despite its substantial contribution to the economy, about 24 percent of GDP and employing approximately 68 percent of the working population.

Addressing hundreds of FDC supporters on Saturday at Arrow Square in Soroti City, Nandala criticised the government for the collapse of agricultural institutes, which he said were once crucial to Uganda’s farming sector and the livelihoods of people in the Teso Subregion and across the country.

“They destroyed these institutes, leaving the people of Teso to suffer,” he said, stressing the need to revive and invest in agriculture to restore prosperity.

Nandala pledged that, once elected president on January 15, 2026, his government would prioritise commercial agriculture.

He also vowed to revive the Teso Cooperative Union and agricultural training institutes, highlighting the success of the Bugisu Cooperative Union [BCU] as proof that cooperatives can empower farmers to negotiate fair prices for their produce, such as coffee.

“I am going to revive the Teso Cooperative Union. When President Museveni came here, he spoke about the Bugisu Cooperative Union instead — that was a mistake,” Nandala said.

Nandala, who also chairs the thriving BCU, criticised Museveni for allegedly misleading the public about land ownership issues involving the cooperative. He insisted he had “not sold any land belonging to BCU,” contrary to claims by the NRM flag bearer.

He further condemned the government’s failure to implement a court ruling on cattle compensation in Teso, saying justice had been delayed for too long.

During his recent campaign in Teso, Museveni promised that each household would receive five cows as compensation. Nandala dismissed the pledge as insincere.

“He is just playing games — waiting for your votes, and then he will say it was a joke,” Nandala remarked.

The FDC candidate also lamented the collapse of cotton production in Teso, once a thriving sector, and vowed to revive it by reopening ginneries and supporting farmers.

If elected, Nandala promised that every village would receive Shs 100 million annually for five years to boost local development and fund community projects.

He also pledged to revive the Cooperative Bank to provide farmers with low-interest loans and a guaranteed market for their produce. His proposed government would establish storage facilities for unsold goods and ensure that farmers’ products are purchased at fair prices.

Additionally, Nandala said his administration would build a cassava starch factory to harness Teso’s potential as a leading cassava producer, noting that “one kilogramme of starch sells for over Shs 1 million,” offering a lucrative opportunity for farmers.

Former FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat Oboi praised BCU as the only surviving cooperative union, lauding its resilience under the current government.

“Nandala is the only person giving President Museveni a headache. In this election, he is already trembling,” Amuriat claimed.

He dismissed rumours that Nandala had endorsed Museveni, calling them baseless.

“How can that happen?” he asked. “Nandala has been one of the strongest critics of this government.”

Apart from Museveni, Nandala faces Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform [NUP] and Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation [ANT], among other contenders seeking to become the next president of Uganda, a country yet to witness a peaceful transfer of political power.

https://thecooperator.news/nandala-mafabi-pledges-to-revive-sebei-elgon-cooperative-union/

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