The Parish Development Model Creating Prosperity for Posterity
Burama, Isingiro, Friday, July 18, 2025
‘…our case here, we benchmarked one successful horticultural complex, Nyahururu Industries Ltd, in Kenya. Thanks to the strong links we have with them, our district team plus several leaders at different levels went on learning and benchmarking tour to five counties across Kenya.
Among the key places, we visited was this horticultural complex, since one of our own is a director in the company…and he is the key driver behind this same investment we are launching here today… Francis Byakutaaga, the Chairman Board of Trustees at Isingiro Development Trust was halfway his speech as we arrived at the opening ceremony of Burama Horticultural Industries Ltd. Late arrival of Mzee Mashurubu and his friends from Kenya made us lose thirty minutes of the day’s programme, suffering the hick-up of finding the chief guest already seated!
Located in Kashumba Parish, Burama Horticultural Industries is the third investment undertaken under the Parish Development Model in Isingiro District. Launched in May 2022, this unique approach to the PDM funds has set in motion a prosperity train across the district. It is now in its third year (2025) in the District Development Decade, 2022-2032. The secret behind this is the visionary leadership of the district. Following the national launching of the PDM, the district council unanimously passed an Ordinance to establish Isingiro Development Trust as the thinking, planning and implementation arm of the district.
The catalyst to this was a casual chat on the best way to gain from the PDM funds. One member wondered if it were possible to pool all the funds of the 65 parishes into one central basket. At Ugx 17 million per parish in the first year, this pioneer pool yielded Ugx 1,105,000,000. In a radio talk show with live call-ins, the leadership engaged the citizens at all levels, and all were able to buy into this collective approach. With the relevant instruments to the Ministry of Local Government, the supervising ministry of the PDM, the legalities were finalised and the funds were deposited into the account of the Trust.
The first investment was a banana processing complex, with two divisions: one for vacuum-packaged peeled matooke exported fresh, the other for banana juice, concentrates, marmalades and organic fertilisers. The complex required an initial investment of Ugx 1.8 billion, financed from the PDM and local revenue pooled via SACCOS and individual investors.
According to Mr Byakutaaga, the experience of the Ruhiira Millennium Village was a motivator, showing the latent capacity in the district if harnessed to the benefit of all. Situated in Kyeera Parish, the banana complex currently employs 712 people directly, with over 3,000 employed along its value chains of both divisions. The juices are sold on the domestic market with 35% exported to the EAC countries, while the marmalades and concentrates are exported to Europe for pharmaceutical ingredients. The organic fertilisers are sold to farmers across Uganda.
With increased funds in the second year of the PDM, which saw each parish allocated Ugx 100 million, the Trust received Ugx 6.5 billion. The amount was enough to establish two factories: Bijura Creameries Ltd, processing whole skimmed milk for the school feeding programme and early childhood development centres (80%) while 20% goes onto the open domestic market and export. The second investment of the second year is Kajaaho Flour Mills Ltd, a cassava flour complex, with 70% of the flour exported to Italy and Turkey.
‘This now is our fourth investment, in the third year of our PDM programme…we are grateful for our own Mzee Mashurubu for the leading role in this project, and we are soon hitting our strategic goal of each family earning a minimum monthly income of Ugx 2 million, …’ concluded Mr Byakutaaga as the chief guest unveiled the launching plaque.
Burama Horticultural Industries produces ready-to-eat vegetable salads: single or mixed. Highly automated, a cabbage enters a ‘pit’ and the starting point and emerges at the exit: cooked, packed, ready for packaging. Minimal human contact. Though it employs fewer people in the factory, its value chain is richer, with a planned household-level irrigation system that enables virtually every farmer in the district to grow cabbages, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, onions, to feed into the factory. With GAP and GMP certification, the exported products fetch a premium price, enabling the factory to offer free salads into the school feeding programme, right from ECD centres at each muruka.
‘This unique approach here has given us great lessons and we will pilot it in other districts across Uganda…congratulations to the leadership and citizens of Isingiro…this is prosperity for posterity’, concluded the chief guest to a standing ovation from all.
Ben Matsiko Kahunga
google: Ben Matsiko Kahunga
