Minister Assures Parliament Tobacco Farmers Will Be Paid This Week
The Minister of State for Industry David Bahati, has assured Parliament that long-awaited payments to verified tobacco farmers will begin this week, following the completion of a verification process and the opening of a special account at the Bank of Uganda.
Responding to concerns raised by Koboko North MP, Dr. Noah Musa, the Minister explained that delays were caused by the need to set up a dedicated payment channel outside the standard government financial system.
“We could not pay through IFMIS, so we opened a bank account at the Central Bank,” the Minister said. “We have received all the required information from the farmers, and this week we are transferring money to their accounts.”
However, the Minister was unable to provide immediate clarity on a second issue raised by Dr. Musa concerning farmers who were excluded from the payment process due to lost receipts.
“I am not familiar with the details about those who lost their slips,” the Minister admitted. “But I will cross-check, and if those farmers are confirmed by the relevant groups, we will find a mechanism to pay them.”
Earlier, Dr. Musa had expressed frustration over the delayed disbursement of UGX 9.7 billion allocated this financial year for tobacco farmers. He noted that the Ministry had committed to paying the farmers by March, following a verification exercise conducted in February.
“It’s now April, and the farmers have not been paid,” he said. “We continue to receive calls every day asking when the money will come.”
He also raised concerns that farmers who lost their payment slips were unfairly excluded during the verification, despite an earlier agreement involving the Ministry of Trade and the Attorney General’s chambers. According to that agreement, such farmers were allowed to present police reports and supporting letters from local authorities as proof.
“These farmers are captured in the Auditor General’s report,” he emphasized. “The Ministry must explain how they plan to address their cases.”
The Speaker acknowledged that the payment issue had been previously discussed but asked the Minister to provide clarity for emphasis. Parliament now awaits an update on both the disbursement progress and the fate of the excluded farmers.
