Humanist

First, let me share the two posts on X that triggered my interest in re-engaging in the tractor debate.

The first was by Samwise Gamgee who wrote:

“As if that was not enough, FY 2024/25 which starts next month, Ministry of Agriculture was added another Ugx 23,040,000,000 to buy more tractors to add on to those they bought and gave out with private number plates and others without number plates last year.” @Sambannz

And the second was from Agather Atuhaire who wrote:

“There is a reallocation every FY for tractors; 28B in 3023/4 & 50B in 2024/5. These tractors are supplied by Josephy Ariong, a prominent businessman from Bukedea that Speaker Among calls “uncle”. I’m told it’s not a blood relationship but he’s a huge NRM mobilizer that played a big role in Among joining NRM, having failed to win on the FDC ticket a couple of times.” @AAgather

I was intrigued and decided to do a Google search to know a little more about Ejakait Joseph Ariong Odea. Well, according to Pilgrim Africa, Ejakait Ariong is:

• A Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur and advocate for private sector development and rural community transformation.
• The chairman of several companies with investments in hotels, logistics, advocacy consultancy, and agriculture.
• Owner of Wash and Wills Country Home in the Eastern town of Mbale, a 3- star hotel as awarded by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in 201, which he established by initially transforming his residence into a guest house.
• An ad hoc lobbyist on private sector to Government relations and has been instrumental as an advocate on access to clean energy for rural communities in Uganda.
• Philanthropist who sits on multiple boards for NGOs working in both education and health.
• Member of several business associations.

Whereas, my reading of both posts – of Samwise and of Agather – leads me to believe the two are insinuating corruption on matters national budgeting, acquisition and benefit from public tractors. However, I need more information before I can conclusively pin Ejakait Ariong as having a corruption case to answer in this specific instance.

In the context of Uganda where persons from humble backgrounds suddenly, out of the blue, come into loads of ‘new money’, there is sufficient evidence that gives a historical context of how Ejakait Ariong came to his wealth; not necessarily corruption, but it could be; like I said, I need more information.

Be that as it may, both X posts have consolidated my conviction that public tractors in the context of agriculture in Uganda are simply a ‘cash-cow’ for the rich. Public tractors should never be part of our national budget, unless they are included as for income generation – as in government buys in bulk and re-sales to the private sector.

Government procurement of tractors for use by smallholder poor farmers is an ill thought project that is out of touch with the realities on the ground. Government would better purchase and freely distribute handheld hoes, ox-plough and oxen to smallholder farmers. This would makes sense, as effectively stated by Stan Burkey:

“If the hoes are actually distributed to small-scale farmers, then we know who owns the hoes. But if the tractors are actually distributed to the sub-counties, then who owns them?”

Read more of my hoe versus tractor analysis here in “Hoes versus tractors, agriculture in the context of Uganda.”