The Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, has advised the youths against selling land and resorting to buying boda bodas for quick money.
He shared this counsel while touring Buwekula County to evaluate the progress of the “Emwanyi terimba” campaign, which he initially launched in 2016 in Kiyuni Subcounty. The campaign aims to enhance coffee production in the Buganda kingdom.
Mayiga visited John Kayengere’s 15-acre coffee plantation in Nabingoola Subcounty, where he commended the farmer for positively responding to the Kabaka’s call to combat poverty among the people of Buganda by prioritizing coffee cultivation.
Kayengere, who also serves as a councillor representing Nabingoola Subcounty and as the finance minister on the district executive, expressed gratitude for the initiative. He mentioned that coffee cultivation has enabled him to educate his children and urged the Katikkiro to continue encouraging Buganda people to cultivate coffee in response to the “Emwanyi terimba” campaign.
Continuing his visit, the Katikkiro went to Brian Yiga’s farm, a 23-year-old coffee grower in Rwensama Village, Nabingoola Subcounty. Yiga, a biomedical degree student at Kyambongo University, currently manages a three-acre piece of land where he intercrops coffee with bananas.
He urged fellow youth to engage in coffee cultivation as it funds his university education. Yiga shared his success story with the Katikkiro, mentioning that he started planting coffee during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 and is now benefiting from the proceeds.
Addressing coffee farmers at Yiga’s farm, the Katikkiro encouraged youth to learn from Yiga’s example of choosing coffee cultivation over selling land to purchase boda bodas for quick money. He praised the people of Buwekula for their positive response to the coffee-growing campaign since its launch in the county. He highlighted Buganda’s significant contribution to Uganda’s economy, with the region currently being the leading producer of coffee, accounting for 40% of the country’s coffee production.
Coffee farmers requested more affordable coffee seedlings from Buganda, citing the high prices of those available on the market.
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