Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential flag bearer Nathan Nandala Mafabi has pledged to revive the defunct Uganda Cooperative Bank and establish a new Agricultural Bank aimed at supporting ordinary citizens and boosting agricultural production.
Addressing supporters at Namwiwa Sub-county headquarters in Kaliro District on November 24, 2025, Mafabi said the banks would offer interest-free loans to farmers to help expand the production of key cash crops such as coffee and cotton.
He argued that access to affordable agricultural financing would reduce reliance on private moneylenders and cushion citizens from high taxation.
“The money lenders in this country have put a straw in us and are draining our hard-earned income,” Mafabi said.
The original Uganda Cooperative Bank was established in 1963 but was closed in 1999.
Mafabi announced that under his government boda boda riders would qualify for loans of up to Ugx 2 million, repayable over five years at annual installments of Ugx 400,000.
On education, Mafabi argued that the country’s free education initiative was funded by the World Bank and not the current regime, saying more resources needed to be directed into improving its implementation.
He pledged better pay and improved welfare for teachers, including free housing and government-funded education for their children up to university level.
Mafabi also promised to overhaul the healthcare system by equipping hospitals with essential drugs and machinery, insisting that no Ugandan should have to seek treatment abroad.
FDC also committed to introducing a welfare program for senior citizens, assuring that every Ugandan aged 65 and above would receive a monthly payment of Ugx 65,000.
