Retired Major General Kahinda Otafiire has denied allegations linking him to a cannabis plantation in Njeru and revealed that the land on which the medicinal cannabis project is located belongs to Kampala based lawyer Counsel Faizal Wesige.
Otafiire, in a statement issued on Saturday, said recent media reports had wrongly attributed the cultivation of cannabis on part of the Njeru land to him and portrayed him as having broken the law by growing medicinal cannabis.
He said Uganda’s legal framework permits the cultivation of cannabis for authorised purposes where the necessary licences and regulatory approvals have been obtained.
“The President of Uganda assented to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2023. The law provides a regulatory framework under which the cultivation of prohibited plants, including cannabis, may be licensed for lawful purposes,” Otafiire said.
He explained that the 2023 law followed the Constitutional Court’s nullification of the previous 2015 law on procedural grounds relating to the absence of the required parliamentary quorum.
According to Otafiire, cannabis has increasingly attracted scientific and medical interest internationally, with research examining cannabinoids for possible applications including pain management, some forms of epilepsy and nausea associated with chemotherapy.
He said Uganda has consequently established mechanisms through which appropriately licensed entities can undertake cannabis related activities for authorised purposes, subject to regulatory requirements.
Otafiire said several individuals and companies have since sought or obtained permits and licences for experimental or medicinal cannabis activities in Uganda.
Among the companies and organisations he listed are Barinabo Farm Limited, Cannabis Pharma Limited, Magsgreen Acres, CTI Agri Uganda Limited, Hoima Energy Limited, Industrial Hemp Pharmaceuticals, Premier Hemp Limited, Healing Hemp Limited and several other entities.
Otafiire said the Njeru project was being undertaken by Barinabo Farm Limited, which he said applied for and was granted permission to cultivate medicinal cannabis on a trial or experimental basis.
He said the company’s application identified Kiryandongo and Njeru as proposed experimental sites.
According to Otafiire, Barinabo Farm Limited subsequently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Industrial Hemp Uganda and Industrial Hemp Pharmaceuticals in connection with the project.
He said Industrial Hemp Pharmaceuticals operates a production facility at Komamboga in Kampala and has previously engaged with government officials and the National Drug Authority regarding its products and operations.
The retired general said the agreement provides for Industrial Hemp Pharmaceuticals to purchase cannabis cultivated at the farm for research and authorised product development activities.
He added that the company has developed products including Cancare, Cancure, Digest Pro, Natural Balance, Cannabis Tea and CBD Skin Cream.
Otafiire, however, cautioned that claims about cannabis based products treating particular diseases should be assessed within the applicable scientific, medical and regulatory framework.
The retired general said the central issue in the controversy was the ownership of the land where the cannabis was cultivated.
He said the plantation is located on Block 205, Plot 279, which he identified as property belonging to Wesige.
“The cannabis plantation in Njeru is situated on Block 205, Plot 279. That land is held and owned by Kampala based lawyer Counsel Faizal Wesige,” Otafiire said.
He said the property formed part of the former Plot 3, Bukaya, Njeru, previously owned by Christopher Lule.
Otafiire insisted that the land should not be confused with Plot 280 or Plot 283 in Bukaya, Njeru, which he acknowledged as his properties.
“It is not Plot 280 or Plot 283, Bukaya, Njeru, which are the plots that I, Kahinda Otafiire, own. The land on which the cannabis was cultivated is not mine. The company undertaking the project is not mine. The existence of a medicinal cannabis project does not, by itself, establish unlawful conduct,”he said.
Otafiire also criticised the action taken at the Njeru site, saying property was allegedly destroyed and the project disrupted before the relevant authorities had adequately established the ownership of the land and the nature of the venture.
He attributed the operation to the army and said it was reportedly carried out on the instructions of State Minister for Agriculture Bright Rwamirama and others.
“The actions undertaken by the army, reportedly on the instructions of Hon. Bright Rwamirama and others, are regrettable, particularly because of the damage allegedly caused to the facility and the consequential effect on Industrial Hemp Pharmaceuticals, which was intended to off take the crop,” he said.
Otafiire also denied any connection between himself and soldiers who were arrested in connection with the operation.
“As for the soldiers who were arrested, they had nothing to do with me in relation to the cannabis project,” he said.
He explained that the soldiers deployed in the area were responsible for securing strategic national installations, including air defence installations, the dam and the bridge.
Otafiire said he had only allowed some servicemen to grow ordinary agricultural produce on his land to supplement their incomes.
He linked the gesture to his past service in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and his association with the former FRONASA and NRA leadership.
The former Defence Minister warned that the alleged destruction of property and disruption of the cannabis project could result in claims for damages and lost income by the companies involved.
He said foreign investors were involved in the venture and that substantial capital had allegedly already been invested, alongside commercial off take arrangements.
“These are matters that the relevant government authorities and the Attorney General’s office may ultimately have to address,” Otafiire said.
He accused those behind the allegations of targeting him without properly establishing the facts surrounding the Njeru project.
“In their zeal to hurt Otafiire, they have trespassed upon and damaged property reportedly worth millions of dollars which has absolutely nothing to do with me,” he said.
Otafiire further criticised the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Research Organisation for what he described as inadequate verification before action was taken.
He argued that proper investigation would have established both the ownership of the land and the nature of the cannabis venture.
“Had the Ministry of Agriculture and NAGRIC undertaken proper verification and established the ownership of the land and the nature of the venture before acting, they would have discovered these facts,” he said.
He described the alleged approach as being like bulls in a china shop and argued that damage was caused before the facts surrounding the project were properly established.
Otafiire challenged those who have linked him to the cannabis plantation to produce evidence supporting their allegations.
“Those making allegations against me have an obligation to establish the facts before presenting speculation as truth,” he said.
He ended his statement with a pointed question: “Now, who is fooling whom?”
“Continue miscalculating. I will not be here,” Otafiire said.
