The CEO Inspire Africa Coffee, Tugume Nelson Accused By Farmers And Investors For Pocketing $20M Meant To Finance Coffee Export Trade

Coffee farmers and investors in Uganda have accused the CEO Inspire Africa Coffee, Tugume Nelson for pocketing US$20m meant to finance coffee export trade.

They allege that on a political order, the money ended up in his private account, and he has since “disappeared”.

According to a Ugandan lobby group AGORA, The Prime Minister’s office gave Tugume Nelson, the CEO of Inspire Africa, a staggering UGX 9,662,236,680 (approximately USD20M)– to help young people learn about coffee and run coffee shops. The goal also included how to teach them about managing money and financial skills.

However, the money appears to have been misappropriated, 2021 Auditor General’s report revealed that, following a visit to Arua, where the construction of coffee shops was planned, the site had been abandoned with no ongoing activity. In Mbale, the coffee shop had shut down, and its equipment was stored at the Mbale District Offices.

In Lira, coffee shops were notably absent, and in Gulu, anticipated facilities such as a Washing Bay and Multi-media deck were never put in place.

According to Robert Kabushega, a coffee farmer and investor, the whole program was a scam and the money gone.

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Robert goes further to claim that in Nelson’s latest scheme is a media campaign in Russian media allied to Putin. Supposedly to grow imports of Ugandan coffee into Russia. That will need more money.

He accuses Nelson of spending part of the taxpayers money to build his “factory for instant coffee” in Ntungamo. And that I n the unlikely event that he executes this, it will be his private business. “If you want to know how this will end, read what he did with the UGX 9.6bn he was given by Office of the Prime Minister in the Auditor General’s report. It is a public document.” He said.

He goes further, “there is also the small matter of hundreds of thousands of dollars he obtained from Mastercard foundation through Private Sector Foundation Uganda that he has obdurately refused to pay back or even account for yet this is the person that was presented to Uganda’s Cabinet and to a meeting in South Africa of so called leading local exporters as the main local coffee exporter. It was here that the $20m request was tabled & passed as small money.”

“He tried to use existing players in the sector for legitimacy. Those who were gullible were played & they have admitted in a public fall out with him. Those who refused have become targets of regulatory pressure.”

https://x.com/rkabushenga/status/1745845885345427629?s=46&t=KazQmrLjpJYvkoNP81WxiA

Nelson has already written a cease and desist letter to Robert and threatened to Sue him for USD280M should he persist with the claims that he stole $20M.