By Chris Mugasha
President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to complete the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) factory in Bushenyi Municipality, which has stalled for a long time.

He was on Thursday touring the PIBID project, where a banana processing factory is under construction. The project started in 2005, but officials said its completion has stalled due to unreliable release of funds.

“I have come to revive the project so that it is completed and it begins processing,” Museveni said, adding that it can not be abandoned at the stage where it has reached.

He castigated MPs for sabotaging his capital investments initiatives aiming at transforming the country’s economy. He said instead of agreeing on how the national resources can be allocated to projects which can uplift the country’s economy, MPs are always against it because they have different interests.

“We should concentrate on such projects and complete them,” Museveni stressed. “We now have the money, but the process of allocation is not good because of people’s different interests. We can fund this project to completion.”

While leading the President through a tour of the banana processing factory under construction, the project engineer, Keneth Kaijuka explained that the project still needed sh34b to begin full production. When Museveni asked the state minister for planning, Matia Kasaija, how much they have allocated to the factory, he said sh24b had been budgeted. Officials said they had requested for sh13b, but it was slashed to sh5b.

The PIBID project director, Rev. Dr. Frolence Muranga, promised to complete the project in 12 months if the required amount was received.

Museveni also lashed at the ministry of finance and some State House officials for disturbing the experts implementing such investment projects that he initiated.

He said he has a standing directive to some of his staff members and ministry of finance to help Muranga, but he was disappointed that they instead disturbed her.

“Makerere University and some foreigners struggled to hijack the project but I refused,” he said.
He hailed Muranga and other experts, led by Prof Julius Zake for their determination and commitment towards the project.

Museveni had earlier toured a banana plantation at the project, which produces over 53 tonnes of matooke per hectare compared to the 5.9 tonnes which individuals harvest from their 2.5 hectares of land, which he attributed to lack of soil fertility.

He directed the Minister of Information and National Guidance, Karooro Okurut, to organise a workshop for all district councilors in the greater Bushenyi and call experts to handle the issue of soil fertility.
Karooro hailed the president for the initiative and vision.