Museveni to replace slow Turkish investor on army land

President Museveni has hinted on a replacement of the Turkish investment group that planned to establish a multi-billion Agro processing and production firm with an industrial park to meet the economic demands and investment opportunities for the greater Luweero areas.

Mr Museveni says the Turks under ASB group of companies who signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ugandan Government in 2014 to establish Apiary farming, textile industry, fruit growing, production of medicine and aromatic products are very slow and have not shown any sign of developing the 18 square mile land owned by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in Kaweweta village in Kinyogoga Sub County, Nakaseke District in central Uganda.

“Am going to get other investors to replace the Turks because they are very slow on their project. We need another industrial park on this land which measures 18 square miles. We shall have two industrial parks in Nakaseke. In this area, you need to have the processing centres for the milk products, coffee, fruits, fish from Nakaseke and the other neighboring districts. What your leaders are telling me is true that you need the industries to add value to the different products. It is also true that many of you farmers have grasped the idea of improved farming practices,” Mr Museveni said on Wednesday.
Museveni said unlike in many other areas he has toured, the people of Ngoma seem to be on the right track with the wealth creation programme because they are now giving back in appreciation.

“You have donated the cows to me in appreciation for the gospel about the need to have improved breeds of cattle for better output. I’m taking these cows to my farm but will continue rallying you to take on the zero grazing method on your respective farms. I have been briefed by your leaders that you now produce about 1.7million litres of milk per day. You also need to do away with the old inheritance culture built on sub-division of property and land when the head of the family dies. You need to form companies so that the family members get shares. This is the modern way of living and will partly resolve the unending disputes that come with the old tradition of inheritance,” Mr Museveni added.

Municipality status
To ensure that the economic achievements are well handled, the president supported the idea of elevating Kapeeka- Semuto areas to a municipality where a chain of industries under the Kapeeka Industrial park are located.
“Your leaders have asked me to support the idea of a municipality. I now task them to go through the right modalities. I will have to support this idea. This area is already very busy and near Kampala City,” Museveni said.

In 2014 President Museveni witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of Uganda and ASB Group of Companies and later a groundbreaking ceremony undertaken by the Turkish investment executives for a Shs75 billion multi- purpose Agriculture and Agro processing at Kaweweta village. The investors were supposed to utilize the land, measuring about 18 square miles and part of the UPDF training facility, to establish the different industries which would employ more than 10,000 people. The army gave a two-month ultimatum to more than 150 families who were believed to be squatters on the army land to vacate.

In 2017, when the District leaders inquired about the whereabouts of the investor, the concerned government departments had no right answer but promised to brief the District leaders, Mr Ignatius Kiwanuka Koomu told a District Council session in 2017.
“We welcome the idea of a second industrial park for Nakaseke. We had no words to tell our people about the Turkish investors who abandoned the first project. Our people were prepared because we had already promised jobs and many other opportunities,” Mr Koomu told the Daily Monitor in an interview on Thursday.