Pallisa: The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi, has vowed to revive Uganda’s cooperative societies if elected president, saying their collapse plunged millions of households into poverty and weakened rural productivity.
Addressing a crowd in Pallisa Town on Friday evening, Mafabi said his government will rebuild cooperative unions to empower farmers, promote collective competition, and restore financial discipline among communities. “Over 90% of our people depend on agriculture, yet the banks we have are commercial institutions charging high interest rates on loans. Crops take over 90 days to mature, but loans are due every 30 days. We must change that,” Mafabi said. He lamented the collapse of the North Bukedi Cooperative Union, which once supported cotton farmers in Pallisa, Busia, and Budaka, saying its demise contributed to poverty, domestic violence, and school dropouts.
The seasoned economist and banker, who previously served at the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, also pledged to raise salaries of teachers, security officers, and other civil servants, describing the the current wage disparities as “an embarrassment to a nation that claims to value education.” “It is shameful that teachers who train our children live miserable lives, borrowing from moneylenders to survive.
My government will restore dignity to our civil servants,” he said. Mafabi further pledged to introduce clear and fair regulatory guidelines for fishing communities, warning against the current practice of brutal evictions without alternative livelihood support. Before Mafabi’s speech, FDC President Patrick Amuriat Oboi described him as a “political asset” with a practical and people-centred manifesto. “Of the eight candidates, Nandala is the only one from Eastern Uganda. This is our chance as a region to claim our place in national leadership,” Amuriat told supporters.
Tororo County MP Geoffrey Ekanya criticized the Electoral Commission for logistical challenges that disrupted parts of the FDC rally, saying they would petition Justice Simon Byabakama to reschedule a full campaign event for the district.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Olebo, FDC’s district secretary general, unveiled four parliamentary candidates representing Pallisa, Andrew Omagor Erokode (Agule), Henry Onaigo (Gogonyo), Martin Owako (Pallisa Municipality), and Fortunate Magezi (Woman MP).
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