RUKIGA – The government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, has conducted a baseline survey engaging farmers in Rukiga District to identify viable water sources for the irrigation programme promised by the President.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development follows Rukiga District leaders’ formal request for an additional four irrigation schemes in addition to seven, citing the inadequacy of the three currently planned for the hilly district.
The development follows the Rukiga District leaders formal request for four additional irrigation schemes from the Ministry of Water and Environment, citing the inadequacy of the three currently planned for the hilly district.
In a letter dated July 13, 2026, addressed to the Permanent Secretary, the leaders, led by Rukiga District Woman MP Dr. Sylvia Alineitwe, expressed concern that the existing plans would not sufficiently serve the district’s agricultural needs given its challenging terrain and the scale of farming activities across the region.
The leaders earlier, on July 8, 2026, held discussions with ministry officials over the water and environmental needs of Rukiga residents, from which the participants reached an understanding that additional investment is urgently required.
The technical officials from the Ministry have however rolled out the baseline survey in Rukiga District to identify water sources for the government’s upcoming irrigation program in response to the water needs of the farmers.
The survey ministry officials, led by Collins Nansasira, included environmentalists and agriculturalists from the Ministry, including Tiryahikayo Gad and Ampeire Deisey, accompanied by the district agricultural teams.
During the technical team’s visit to a coffee plantation in Maheru Cell, Nyarurambi Parish, Rwamucucu Sub-county, farmer Twebaze Alex revealed that his biggest challenge is accessing reliable water to irrigate his over-three-acre coffee plantation during drought seasons.
He confirmed that he last harvested coffee valued at approximately 4 million shillings and looks forward to expanding his farm with the new farms being prepared for planting.
Twebaze Alex also expressed optimism about the irrigation program, stating that with the support of an irrigation system, he will be able to significantly increase his harvests.
The team also inspected the coffee farms of Twine Daniel and Turyamushanga Bernard in Kabirizi Cell, Kigara Parish, Kamwezi Sub-county, who confirmed they are struggling to irrigate their plantations.
Bernard, who owns about 15 acres of coffee, said he has resorted to pumping water using a generator into dug ponds, a method he described as too expensive to sustain, tiresome, and time-consuming.
“I resorted to pumping water using a generator into dug ponds on my farm, but this method is too expensive to sustain. On top of that, I have to hire people to carry water from the ponds by hand; it’s tiresome and takes too much time,” lamented Bernard.
At MP Dr. Sylvia Alinaitwe’s coffee factory-based farm in Nyabunyugu Cell, Kibanda Parish, Kamwezi Sub-county, farmer Butereere Richard identified drought and insect infestations as the most significant challenges threatening his yields.
He confirmed that they recently harvested about 3 tonnes of coffee but expressed optimism that with irrigation support, they would be able to harvest a much larger quantity.
“Drought and insects are the twin threats that continue to undermine our coffee production. We harvested about 3 tonnes recently, but with irrigation, we expect to harvest much more,” Richard affirmed.
President Museveni pledged an irrigation scheme for Rukiga during the NRM campaign rallies in the district in late November 2025 to support year-round farming in Kigezi’s hilly terrain.
The presidential pledge followed his recognition of the district’s proper wetland conservation efforts, appreciating the residents thus pledging to support them by introducing the irrigation system.
The irrigation scheme is expected to significantly boost agricultural productivity in the district, building on MP Dr. Sylvia Alineitwe’s coffee initiative, which has been gaining traction in Rukiga District since 2023.
The legislator Dr. Sylvia has been at the forefront of promoting coffee farming as a pathway to economic empowerment, distributing coffee seedlings to households and establishing coffee collection centers across the district.
Through her coffee farming project launched in March 2025, she seeks to transform Kigezi into a premier coffee-producing hub, positioning the region as a key player in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
However, in November 2016, Museveni donated a solar irrigation scheme at Kyerero, Bukinda Sub-county, to a model farmer, which fell into disuse after the beneficiary moved away.
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