By Mubiru Ivan
Budadiri West Member of Parliament Nandala Mafabi has been re-elected chairman of Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU).
Mafabi was voted unopposed during the BCU annual general meeting this week. His rival Julius Nakiyi, pulled out of the race, one day to the elections.
The legislator now serves his fourth term in the position.
Fredrick Ngobi Gume, the State Minister for Cooperatives while declaring Mafabi as new chairman, urged coooperative members not to listen to the people who want to divert them from developing the union yet they are not members of the union.
The meeting was attended by over 600 members from different districts in the region.
According to Daily Monitor, the annual general meeting was called following the suspension of the old board led by Mafabi in August this year after High Court in Mbale ruled that they were holding the office illegally following the expiry of their term of office in March.
About BCU
The union was established in July 1954. It was started by a group of coffee farmers led by the late E. V. Samson Kitutu.
A new Bugisu coffee ordinance was enacted in 1955 providing for BCU ltd to take over all the marketing functions from the Bugisu coffee scheme as well as all the scheme’s assets except the reserve funds which were still held by Bugisu coffee board.
BCU is owned by coffee farmers who are organised in primary societies. Each primary society keeps a register of its fully paid-up members who elect a committee, which manages society’s affairs.
Each Primary society is represented by two delegates at an Annual General Meeting. In addition to other functions the AGM elects Board members who in turn appoint and supervise the management team. BCU also operates according to International Co-operatives Principles.
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