Rukiga County MP Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi is facing mounting scrutiny following explosive allegations that billions of shillings meant for tea nursery operators were irregularly deducted through his law firm, Pathways Advocates, prompting direct intervention from President Yoweri Museveni.
In a letter dated February 22, 2026 and addressed to then Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, President Museveni expressed anger over what he described as extortion targeting tea nursery growers in Kanungu District.
The President questioned how individuals allegedly managed to deduct as much as 30 percent from money intended for farmers.
“I am writing to direct you to stop crooks operating under a lawyers’ firm known as Pathways Advocates involving one Kyichooncho Patrick Katabazi that is extorting money from the tea Nursery Growers,” Museveni wrote.
The President further asked: “Who is he to extort money from our people? What did he do to deserve this money? It is the Government that gave the money to our people.”
Museveni also questioned possible collaborators within government, asking: “Who are the collaborators of the extortioners in the Government?” before demanding immediate action.
“Stop this theft,” the President directed.
The presidential intervention adds fresh weight to allegations contained in a petition submitted on May 6, 2026 to the Deputy Attorney General by Wycliff Byarugaba, detailing what petitioners describe as a years-long scheme that siphoned billions from tea nursery operators across western Uganda.
According to the petition, the controversy traces back to 2019 when 734 tea nursery operators from Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Rukiga, Ntungamo, Mbarara and Mitooma sued Government and NAADS over unpaid tea seedlings under High Court Civil Suit No. 889 of 2019.
The petition states that Government and the nursery operators entered a consent judgment in January 2021 agreeing to settle Shs42.6 billion, of which Shs15 billion had already been paid, leaving a balance and accumulated interest that reportedly pushed Government’s total obligation to roughly Shs52 billion.
It is from this payment process that the storm surrounding Pathways Advocates emerges.
Petitioners allege that Government released Shs27 billion in June 2021 to Pathways Advocates through an NCBA Bank account for onward payment to farmers. The law firm is identified in the petition as belonging to Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi.
However, the petition alleges that instead of deducting agreed legal fees, representatives and lawyers allegedly connived to charge farmers far beyond what had been negotiated.
“Without any meeting or any agreement with the nursery bed operators,” the petition states, representatives allegedly worked with the lawyer and “charged 30% or more percentage of the money that was meant for the nursery bed operators.”
Petitioners claim farmers had already paid instruction fees and agreed to a 10 percent share for representatives and lawyers, yet deductions allegedly rose to Shs8.1 billion from the first Shs27 billion payment — about Shs5.4 billion above what they considered legitimate.
The allegations do not stop there.
According to the petition, another Shs12 billion was allegedly channelled through Pathways Advocates in November 2022, triggering what complainants describe as a second wave of suspicious deductions.
“This time round,” the petition claims, “whichever money went on their accounts, 70% or more would be fraudulently debited back to Pathways Advocates account.” Petitioners allege that out of the Shs12 billion, farmers received less than Shs5 billion while nearly Shs7 billion was allegedly diverted.
Combined with earlier deductions, the petition claims almost Shs20 billion may have been lost from payments intended for nursery operators.
The dispute later escalated into another legal battle.
Petitioners accuse the same group of returning to court in 2023 seeking compensation for “economic loss” despite claiming that such compensation had already been contemplated under the earlier consent judgment. A Deputy Registrar reportedly awarded Shs61 billion, a figure the petitioners describe as unsupported because no joint verification report had been completed as earlier agreed.
The petition further alleges that Pathways Advocates later demanded as much as Shs75 billion from the Finance Ministry even as appeals challenging the earlier award remained unresolved.
Perhaps most controversially, petitioners claim that despite Government appeals, a later ruling still awarded money they insist had already been paid.
“This is broad day robbery and outright theft and fraud,” the petition reads while referring to the disputed award.
The document further alleges that during a meeting in Bushenyi, representatives of the nursery operators persuaded President Museveni to commit to Shs112 billion despite petitioners claiming the actual outstanding amount was significantly lower.
Petitioners also reveal that Government had already paid Shs14.9 billion through the Agriculture Ministry in December 2025 but claim fresh requests continued to seek the full Shs112 billion.
The controversy had previously reached Parliament.
According to the petition, the COSASE committee investigated the matter and reportedly recommended that Katabaazi be investigated and prosecuted, and that money allegedly deducted from nursery operators be recovered. Petitioners say no action has been taken despite those recommendations dating back to 2023.
They further allege that Katabaazi unsuccessfully sought court intervention to stop Parliament and CID investigations into the matter.
The petition now asks Government to halt pending payments, establish the actual amount owed and investigate lawyers, public officials and judicial actors involved in the disputed compensation process.
By press time, Katabaazi and Pathways Advocates had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the petition.
As investigations loom and the President’s directive hangs over the matter, the unfolding tea compensation saga is fast turning into a politically explosive test of accountability involving farmers, lawyers and billions of taxpayers’ money.
