By Samuel Amanyire
A row has erupted between farmers in Muhokya town council in Kasese district over the management of Muhokya mini-irrigation scheme.
This was revealed on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, as the district security team visited the farmers at Muhokya town council headquarters to resolve their issues.
The scuffle is between the newly elected committee to oversee activities of the scheme and the self-proclaimed founders headed by the Rutoke cell LC1 chairperson where the scheme is situated.
Deo Kwatoti, the chairperson of the newly elected committee for Muhokya mini-irrigation scheme, said he was chosen by the farmers to oversee activities of the scheme and approved by the district leadership.
“We were voted by farmers on September 30, 2021, but the area LC1 and LC2 chairpersons were not satisfied and decided to petition the office of the LC5, who intervened and decided that the elected committee should take over office,” Kwatoti said.
“Since then, they resorted to blocking water from reaching farmers’ gardens, a matter that has caused crops to wither,” he added.
Andrew Matela, the LC1 chairperson for Rutoke cell, who claims to be one of the founders of the scheme, claimed that the committee was elected in the absence of other farmers who had gone to attend a burial ceremony.
“We agreed that we should elect a working executive to take charge of the schemes’ activities. Unfortunately, on that day one of the founders of the scheme lost his mother-in-law. Most farmers decided to attend the burial but a few who didn’t attend decided to conduct an election,” Matela said.
“The participants were not registered farmers, so, we disagreed with the results and considered the whole election process as not free and fair,” he added.
As a result of the impasse, Matela’s group decided to petition the town council leadership for approving a committee whose elections were not free and fair.
Muhokya leadership speaks out
Best Juliet Bakoko, the town clerk of Muhokya town council, said they regret the ongoing conflicts between the farmers in Muhokya mini-irrigation scheme.
Bakoko says it has jeopardised the dream of the area being a food hub and revenue source with each passing day.
“As the town council, we are looking at failure to register high production since the scheme is not just a food hub but also a source of revenue,” she said.
Nelson Masereka, the district councillor for Muhokya town council, said the district production department has cut short their planned funding of the scheme until the leadership system is streamlined.
“These are almost three years when we are losing out on the funding,” he said.
Farmers register losses
Amidst the scuffle, farmers are complaining that they have registered huge losses.
Hakim Kimbugwe said the conflicts have left feeder roads in the scheme unattended, making it hard for the farmers to transport their agricultural products.
Moshen Abavu said farmers risk losing lives citing an incident when they faced off with pangas in a bid to access water to irrigate their crops.
“It is usually a battled of pangas. But see how all the crops have dried up yet we have water in the scheme,” he said.
However, Lt. Joe Walusimbi, the Kasese Resident District Commissioner, said the Government will not tolerate anyone intending to fail government programmes.
The Government injected over sh500m in the scheme in 2011 to restore people’s hopes of improving crop yields.
“The Government injected a lot of money in that scheme, but a few individuals with self-interests want to fail the smooth running of farming activities,” Walusimbi said.
“I have directed and ordered for the arrest of anyone who will try to block the water from irrigating farmer’s crops,” he added.
