By John Jimmy Musimbi

More than 500 acres of mulberry, silkworm rearing houses and a factory equipped with some silk processing machinery are laying the foundation for an ambitious new chapter in Uganda’s silk industry.

That is what Parliament’s Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation witnessed during an oversight visit to TRIDI’s Chepsukunya Sericulture Station in Kween District, where the scale of the investment and the potential of the silk value chain came into sharp focus.

Led by Kole North MP Hon. Samuel Okia, the Committee visited the extensive mulberry gardens, silkworm rearing houses, water infrastructure and the silk factory, where machinery has been installed as TRIDI works towards commencing silk yarn production.

The visit, conducted under Rule 193 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, provided an opportunity to assess the progress of the project and explore how the investment can translate into jobs, local enterprise and wider socio-economic transformation.

Building the foundation for a complete silk value chain

At Chepsukunya, the Committee saw the major components being put in place to support an integrated silk production system.

The more than 500-acre mulberry plantation provides the leaves needed to feed silkworm larvae. The Committee also inspected two rearing houses under construction where silkworm eggs will be developed into larvae before progressing to the cocoon stage.

At the factory which is yet to be completed, experimental silk-processing machinery have already been installed, providing the technological foundation for the next stage of the value chain.

However, the factory is not yet producing silk yarn. TRIDI’s target is to have the factory fully operational and producing silk yarn by the end of the current financial year.

For TRIDI, bringing production, rearing and processing infrastructure together at Chepsukunya is central to its ambition of developing a productive domestic silk industry.

Parliament calls for silk to drive transformation

Hon. Samuel Okia challenged TRIDI to ensure that the silk investment becomes an engine for Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.

He particularly emphasised the importance of producing silkworm eggs locally, strengthening the foundation of the value chain and reducing potential production constraints.

TRIDI Executive Director Dr. Clet Wandui Masiga told the Committee that TRIDI plans to construct three additional rearing houses, bringing the total to five and increasing the station’s capacity.

Hon. Okia also called for solutions to the water challenge at the facility, including measures to support irrigation and ensure that inadequate water or power does not constrain production as the project expands.

Putting Kween residents at the centre

For Parliament and local leaders, the success of the project must ultimately be reflected in the lives of the people living around it.

Hon. Okia urged TRIDI to prioritise local residents for employment opportunities as the factory moves towards full operation.

Nasur Kubet, Mayor of Chepsukunya Town Council, echoed the call, emphasising that local communities should directly benefit from the economic opportunities created by the project.

Hon. Okia further encouraged TRIDI to consider social services, including medical care and housing facilities for workers, as the project develops.

He also commended TRIDI for infrastructure already established at the facility, particularly the roads and electricity brought to the area.

TRIDI’s Silk City vision

Beyond the infrastructure already in place, TRIDI has set its sights on something much bigger.

Dr. Clet Wandui Masiga revealed the organisation’s ambition to establish a Silk City in Chepsukunya, Kween, built around large-scale silk production and related economic activities.

TRIDI projects that the facility could eventually produce 2,000 metric tonnes of silk yarn annually, translating into an estimated UGX 350 billion in annual revenue.

According to Dr. Masiga, TRIDI is working towards having the factory fully operational and producing silk yarn by the end of the current financial year.

If achieved, the vision could position Kween as an important centre for Uganda’s silk industry while creating opportunities across farming, processing, employment and enterprise.

Government urges community participation

Eric Mwima from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation stressed the importance of mobilising Kween residents to participate in silk production.

He described community participation as an important strategy in Government’s efforts to move people out of poverty, drawing parallels with the Parish Development Model.

The wider ambition is therefore not simply to establish a factory, but to create an ecosystem in which local people can participate in the value chain and benefit from the economic activity generated around it.

Water and climate resilience

The project is also creating expectations beyond the silk industry itself.

Hon. Brian Besta Kapyagon, MP for Kongasis County, thanked the people of Kween for embracing the project and noted that the district has experienced prolonged drought.

He expressed hope that the development of the project could contribute to addressing the area’s water challenges, including through a valley dam that would support both the community and productive activities.

Water remains an important component of the project’s long-term sustainability, particularly as production expands.

Building a project with the community

The Resident District Commissioner for Kween, ASP (Rtd) Hope Atuhaire, called on TRIDI to ensure that any challenges arising between the project and local communities are brought forward and addressed promptly.

The call reinforces the importance of continued engagement between TRIDI, community leaders, Government and residents as the project progresses towards full-scale production.

The road from mulberry to transformation

Chepsukunya is now home to more than a collection of mulberry fields.

It has the foundations of an integrated silk industry land under mulberry, silkworm rearing, cocoon production and a factory equipped with processing machinery.

The next major milestone is to move from this foundation to actual silk-yarn production by the end of the current financial year.

Parliament’s oversight visit provided an opportunity to identify the remaining gaps while reinforcing the potential of the investment.

As TRIDI works towards full factory production, the ambition is clear: to turn Kween’s mulberry into silk, silk into industry, and industry into jobs, enterprise and economic transformation.

The vision of a Silk City in Kween is being built from the ground up with the infrastructure already taking shape and the next milestone being production of silk yarn.