Derrick Ampereza
The Pathways Advocates lawyer Kincoco Katabazi Patrick has revealed that most of the tea nursery bed operators in south western region especially the Kigezi region have been paid though some are still questioning the payments they received.
While addressing journalists at Kanungu district headquarters after a stakeholders meeting in all the districts of Kigezi region,Katabazi said some of the farmers have taken tea issues politically to the extent of opposing what they agreed before taking over the 30% court fees.
He said tea nursery bed operators in Rukungiri have so far received over 2.5 billion, Kabale district over 6 billion, Rukiga over 4.5 billion, and Kanungu over 11.5 billion among other districts although they still have a balance that the government hasn’t paid them.
Katabazi added that he was given this case in 2018 and since then he has been moving up and down together with the eight members of the nursery bed operators committee who used over 3 billion in transport, accommodation, stationary, feeding, and other court costs during the process.
He elaborated that that these committee members used to travel to Kampala more than three times every month for almost 6 years to attend meetings in different offices as they negotiated with the government for the farmers to get their money which most of the farmers had lost interest in.
Lawyer Katabazi told farmers who haven’t received any pay that he will pay them immediately after receiving the remaining money from the government and those unsatisfied with the money they received especially those who are complaining that their money was highly deducted can take their complaints to their offices.
However, some of the farmers didn’t accept the explanation that was given to them by the lawyer whom they entrusted to take legal action about their up-paid money accusing him of deducting a big percentage and deducting 30% more than one time.
The Kanungu district chairperson Eng. Sam Arineitwe Kajojo responded to some nursery bed operators who were accusing him of having taken part in the process of payments saying he was a nursery bed operator like others and his money was also deducted to pay legal fees like others.
He added that nursery bed operators in Kanungu district should know that he is innocent because the lawyer was responsible for the whole payment process therefore those tarnishing his name for political reasons should stop it.
