In 2016- 2021, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni pledged support to scientists to enhance industrialization in Uganda.
Further in his manifesto, the President was optimistic that science would transform Uganda from a peasant to an industrialized modern society by establishing an innovation fund under National Research and Innovation Programme (NRIF) Framework.
Museveni proposed that his administration would financially support local scientists who had well-structured projects but lacked funds.
Among the innovators who have since benefited from Museveni’s innovation fund is Tropical Institute of Development Innovation (TRIDI) which claims to have taken several years of studies, research and mobilizing resources to actualize the President’s vision.
TRIDI under the leadership of Clet Wandui Masiga as an executive director and principal investigator invested his energies in Sericulture- the art and science of rearing silkworms for production of raw silk and its end product.
President Museveni in 2003 commissioned the first silk factory in Uganda at Rubaare, Sheema district. But ever since, the project suffered serious setbacks because of lack of raw materials and advancement of technology
Determined for results, Museveni said he would in the current term (2021-2026) revitalize silk industry to create 56 silk factories and 300000 jobs across the country.
And in the last financial year 2021-2022, the project was to be implemented in 50 districts having been established in 24 districts.
Museveni relied on TRIDI as an innovator and also manufacturer which would support the 50 silk factories with raw materials.
This was after TRIDI had signed partnership with government under Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
“We are among the first to benefit from Museveni’s founded Innovation Fund and our project has since gained public interest to become a public project led by a private sector,” says TRIDI executive director in one of the documents obtained by this website.
“We will focus our efforts in investing in sericulture, silk and silk by product industry and deliver the goods and services that Ugandans and global community are prepared to pay for,” Clet Wandui Masiga adds.
One of the TRIDI’s projects is located in Kween district in Western Uganda.
Rogue Project?
Currently, Mr Wandui has locked horns with Minister of Science Dr Monica Musenero over lack of a clear structure and working plan of TRIDI.
This website, understands that since 2018 when TRIDI started benefitting from Museveni’s innovation fund, it has so far received shs 36 billion through Ministry of Science at a time Dr Elioda Tumwesigye was the Minister.
“TRIDI just like other initiatives had not provided accountability to the Ministry until the appointment of Musenero who demanded a to see how the money was spent,” a source interviewed by this website said.
Wishing to remain unnamed so as to speak freely, the source added, Wandui teamed up with all the officials in the Ministry of Science, Finance Ministry and other relevant authorities to eat money, that is why the money TRIDI has so far spent doesn’t correspond with work on ground.
“Because TRIDI was facilitating all those officials in those ministries, they without queries increased his budget from shs 1.5 billion in 2018 to shs 26 billion in 2021,” a source added.
TRIDI has so far submitted in a budget of shs 42 billion in the current financial year, which money Dr Musenero has far blocked demanding accountability and a clear structure of what TRIDI does.
In Kween where the factory is located, MPs on Presidential Affairs Committee were startled by the structures that house very expensive equipment.
The state of the art machines are simply placed in dusty, unfinished structure yet they require care. “The MPs were surprised by that someone can be very irresponsible with government funds,” added a source.
This website established that all the projects are supposed to be conducted on the government land, however, documents show the land in Kween where TRIDI project sits is in the names of Wandui Masiga.
Impasse
An angry Wandui has since written a letter to the Solicitor General and copied in Parliament, Finance Ministry, State House and others alleging that that there is a conflict between Minister Musenero and Innovations Project for household wealth creation.
In his letter Wandui’s projection is after investing shs 800 billion in TRIDI, in five years the revenue returns will be shs 2880 billion annually of which shs 1728 billion shall remain in the hands of Ugandan farmers and rural community.
He further says, “we are not in agreement with the way the minister wishes us to operate.”
A separate source says that Musenero maintains that until TRIDI provides a clear working plan and accountability, she will not authorize release of funds.
Most times Ministers have been grilled by Parliament and other investigative bodies of government after audit report expose gaps and as such Dr Musenero is trying to avoid similar occurrences.