BUHWEJU, UGANDA – Following months of governance disputes, shareholder dissatisfaction, and growing anxiety over the management and performance of Igara Tea Factory, the Woman Member of Parliament for Buhweju District, Hon. Nnamara Annet Oyes Byamukama, has issued a timely and statesmanlike message aimed at restoring stability and safeguarding farmer livelihoods.
In a statement titled _”IGARA TEA FACTORY: GOVERNANCE & FARMER INCOMES – A Message to Leaders, Shareholders and Farmers,”_ Hon. Byamukama directly addresses what many in Buhweju have whispered about but few leaders have dared to confront publicly: that continued disagreements over governance are no longer a boardroom affair, but a household income crisis.
“These wrangles raise serious concerns about the effective management and performance of our factory, with direct consequences for the household incomes of our tea farmers in Buhweju,” she notes.
The Core of Her Advice: Three Pillars for Survival:
Hon. Nnamara distills the complex factory politics into what truly matters for the common farmer. For the factory to survive and serve its purpose, she argues, three things must be secured:
*1. Quality green leaf supplies*
*2. Efficient factory operations*
*3. Better prices and improved farmer incomes*
Her logic is impeccable: No investor or farmer will supply quality leaf to a factory mired in illegality and confusion. No factory can operate efficiently without a legitimate Board. And without efficiency, better prices remain a dream.
A Leader’s Call for Restraint and Rule of Law:
What sets Hon. Nnamara’s intervention apart is not just what she says, but what she cautions against. At a time when the saga has tempted many into parallel meetings, media mudslinging, and informal power grabs, she calls for restraint.
She urges all stakeholders — leaders, shareholders and farmers — to work through the appropriate institutional and legal processes.
Her prescribed next step is clear, constitutional, and de-escalatory:
Support a transparent AGM process and cooperate with URSB and other responsible institutions to implement the applicable court decision and establish the Board in accordance with the law.
It is a message that places law above might, and procedure above personality. In a district where tea is not just a crop but the backbone of household incomes, school fees, and livelihoods, the MP is reminding everyone that the factory does not belong to individuals, but to the farmers, and must be governed as such.
Leadership When It Matters Most:
By speaking out, Hon. Nnamara Annet Oyes Byamukama has done what true leadership demands — to provide direction when there is dissatisfaction, and to provide calm when there is chaos.
Her vision remains consistent: Stable governance, stronger factory performance, and better prospects for the farmers of Buhweju.
END.
