By Stephen Otage
The lack of funding has pushed desperate Ugandan scientists to money lenders as a last resort option.
The Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI), a private company implementing the government’s national silk production project, has asked government to allow them borrow Ushs 5bn from money lenders to fund pending critical activities.
According to a letter dated 18th August 2022, addressed to the State House Comptroller and the Minister for Science Technology and Innovations, TRIDI is asking government to allow them borrow Shs 5bn from a money lender who will enter into a joint venture with them as they wait for State House to release Shs 5bn they requested for on August 16.
The project involves planting of 2,000 acres of mulberry, procuring 2,300 acres of land in Bulambuli district for silk development, clearing and payment of machines for post cocoon processing and building capacity for silk worm egg production.
“Tropical Institute for Development Innovations, is implementing the project titled Commercialisation of sericulture technologies and innovations in Uganda as a subvention. Parliament appropriated UGX 16bn for FY2022/2023 through vote 002,” the letter reads.
It adds, “As we wait for the release of the funds, we are requesting for your opinion for us to borrow UGX 5,000,000,000 to take care of some of the urgent project requirements,”
Other activities include management of weeds, pests and disease, clearing payment of post cocoon processing equipment, ship the first set of silkworm eggs production and manage floods in Bukedea, Bulambuli and Kween districts.
According to a source who preferred anonymity in order to speak freely to this newspaper, TRIDI has been forced to go to money lenders after the Ministry of Science and Technology, demanded them to account for Shs 20bn they received from government as part of the grants that were given to scientists and innovators to develop solutions that would combat the impact and effects of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, which has sparked off a fight between TRIDI and Dr. Monica Musenero, the Minister of Science and Technology.
According to the source, the Shs 20bn grant was meant to establish 56 silk factories around the country, hoping to create 300,000 jobs. The source adds that TRIDI claims last year, they implemented the project in 24 districts that include; Sheema, Kiruhura, Bulambuli, Kamuli, Kween, Mubende, Mukono, Iganga, Luwero, Kayunga, Nakaseke, Bukedea, Zombo, Nwoya, Builwe, Pallisa, Busia, Amolatar, Otuke, Lira, Agago, and Pader, but when TRIDI was asked to present accountability of the funds, they failed to produce it before they were blocked from accessing more funds from government.
When asked whether they had failed to account for the money, Clet Wandui Masiga, the executive director and Principal Investigator TRIDI said he is currently out of the country and can only respond this week when he returns. He asked this reporter to send him questions via whatsapp on Saturday, but by Sunday, there was no response and his known mobile phone was switched off.
When asked about this development, Dr. Musenero said she is aware of the request but constrained to comment.
“Last Thursday, I received the letter which was copied to many people. I will give a comment once investigations are complete so that I can give consistent and factual information,” she said.
