The Ugandan agriculture sector is mourning the death of Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye, the former Executive Director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), who passed away on Tuesday, 18th November 2025 at the age of 54 after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Sources close to the family reveal that Dr. Iyamulemye’s health worsened shortly after he lost the heated battle to block the scrapping of UCDA under the government’s agency rationalisation programme a move that saw the Authority absorbed back into the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). Government defended the merger as a cost-cutting intervention aimed at reducing wasteful expenditure.
Dr. Iyamulemye served at UCDA from 2016 to 2024, a period that saw Uganda rise among the world’s top coffee producers and exporters. Under his leadership, millions of coffee seedlings were distributed to farmers nationwide, and he played a key role in the enactment of the 2021 National Coffee Act, which strengthened quality control and streamlined the industry.
Before joining UCDA, the seasoned agricultural scientist coordinated major livelihood recovery programmes including ALREP in Northern Uganda and KALIP in Karamoja.
According to the tentative burial programme, a requiem mass will be held today, 19th November, at St. Lwanga Catholic Church in Ntinda. He will be laid to rest on Friday at his ancestral home in Bigina Village, Kisoro Municipality.
May his soul rest in internal Peace .
More updates to follow, stay locked to Daily Spear Ug.
