Money wrangles between the Uganda Honey Beekeepers Association (UHA) and Hives Save Lives (HSLA), a UK-based charity, have stalled the production and export of honey. The beekeepers accuse HSLA of using documents and photographic materials belonging to UHA to solicit for money from donors worldwide. "HSLA is using our property to get money that never gets to the poor people it is meant to help. The charity also owes the bee-keepers money for training and making them hives they sold to farmers," said Ramsey Owot, the UHA president.
The charity allegedly gets money to train, equip and market Ugandan honey globally. Owot wrote to Richard Unwin, a UK businessman, seeking financial assistance to help the beekeepers improve production. Unwin is reportedly soliciting money from local and international organisations, claiming he is helping poor people by training and equipping them with free hives and protective gear for harvesting honey.
Unwin, who claims to be President Museveni's advisor for international trade and development, first came to Uganda in 2001 in search of investment opportunities. He met UHA members and discussed the intervention needed to boost the sector. He later sent Nicole Bradbear, whom he called a honey expert, to assess the sector's potential. Bradbear reportedly wrote a report highlighting the sector's potential to produce honey and other hive products for the local and international markets.
One of Unwin's initial plans was to set up a marketing company for the sector to link the producers to buyers in Europe and America, but the idea was snubbed by the beekeepers, saying they did not have any product to market yet. The beekeepers then wrote a proposal that would improve the sector and alleviate poverty in rural areas. The promotion and development plan highlighted areas of intervention and asked the "investor" to help them find philanthropists.
The two parties agreed to set up a charity organisation that would help them raise funds. Suggestions were made for the charity to cover the whole of Africa after progress was realised in Uganda. The organisation was named HSLA by Owot and registered in the UK by a Nancy Bikson in 2003. Its objectives were to alleviate poverty, provide education and training worldwide by manufacturing and providing beekeeping equipment, disseminate beekeeping techniques and guide the honey producers to enable them earn their own living.
HSLA owes UHA $2,794 for training and making hives and also owes Tropical Bee-care Centre (TBC) over sh10m ($6,000). Hillary Besekya, the managing director of TBC in Bunyaruguru, said that HSLA breached a contract they signed with Tropical Bee Care Centre when they failed to pay for hives they collected. Besekya also wants HSLA to pay him for using his pictures on their websites without his approval. UHA has also filed a case against the charity for injuring their business.
"HSLA is supposed to raise funds that will enable the farmers to get formal training in beekeeping. But the company is engaged in processing honey. Malaika Honey is part of HSLA and is buying and processing honey for the local market," Owot said. "These people are crooks. They have contacted all our members and given them buckets to collect and sell them raw honey."
Linda Whitby, the project director of HSLA, however, said that HSLA does not owe any UHA member money. She said they stopped dealing with UHA and TBC because they used to inflate charges and were making them sub-standard hives. Whitby also disassociated her organisation from Malaika Honey.
"It is unfortunate that people claim to be investors when they are cheats. Malaika and HSLA share websites and offices. How can they say they do not know each other when one introduced the other to us," Owot wondered.
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