How Nelson Tugume has successfully scammed the President and taxpayers for years

If you randomly ask ten (10) Ugandans if they know a person called Nelson Tugume, chances are high that none will answer in the affirmative.

However, to most big Coffee farmers in the country, Tugume is more less a household name as he has made his presence to their faces quite sounding!

The Chairman for Coffee Investment Consortium of Uganda (CICU) is a well connected man who has scammed millions of dollars of taxpayers money thanks to his strong connections.

Either through CICU, Inspire Africa where he promised to create a million jobs for the youth, or ‘Uganda’s biggest coffee exporter’, Tugume has over the years positioned himself where money flows.

When President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni visited Serbia last year to establish a Uganda Tradeb Hub, ‘Uganda Connect’ in Belgrade, Tugume smiled his way to the Bank with $1m (Sh3.7b) to promote Uganda’s coffee through the Hub.

However, before Tugume pocketed the $1m, in 2019, he scammed the President and the taxipayers Sh9.6b through his Inspire Africa Organization under the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund III (NUSAF – III).

Inspire Africa, a human capital development organization which was working with young entrepreneurs, was mandated to construct mobile coffee shops, barber shops and car washing bays where domestic coffee consumption was to be promoted.

The funds was released to his organization but none of the above was done!

Tugume, has engaged several big coffee farmers around the country and has held several coffee campaigns outside Uganda aimed at promoting Uganda’s coffee but for his own selfish interests.

In these foreign campaigns, he presents himself as the main Uganda coffee exporter and sources says he has defrauded many unsuspecting investors in this clout!

Throughout his coffee journey, Tugume has closely worked with the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development headed by Odrek Rwabogo, the son-in-law to the President.