By Melanie Aanyu,

Mbale district is said to have allocated approximately 100 acres of prime land to 5 investors who after 20 years have failed to develop it.
It has now emerged that some of the investors have since disappeared while others have failed to develop the land.

After failing to achieve the objective, the district is seeking to reclaim the land but finding the initial investors has become difficult. There are fears that they could have mortgaged or sold off the land before moving on.

This facility located in Busoba trading centre along Mbale -Tororo road is a shell of what was meant to be a starch factory.

In 2007, Mbale district local government donated 13 acres of land to Yogi agro industries limited, to establish a starch factory with the aim of creating jobs.

The factory was expected to employ 1, 500 directly with another 10,000 indirectly since the factory was to boost cassava production and improve the livelihood of Cassava farmers in eastern and Northern Uganda.

Fredrick Nambafu, the district youth counsellor, says, “Farmers were mobilised to row cassava on large scale in anticipation of ready market from the factory but the outcome was the opposite.”
Mbale District chairperson Mafabi Muhammad his executive has tasked the Chief administrative officer to avail them with a report on the same.

Mbale District Senior Lands Officer Emma Kigaye says they have been tracing for the investor to no avail.