By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
Former Uganda Coffee Development Authority Boss, Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira has died at the tender age of 54.
Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye died this morning, 18th November 2025 at a yet to be disclosed location.
The sad news was broken by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Frank Tumwebaze on his X-Handle without divulging details of the sudden death.
“I have learnt this morning with deep sorrow the passing of Dr Emmanuel Lyamulemye, the former ED of UCDA,” writes Tumwebaze.
The Minister credits the late Dr. Iyamulemye for playing a key leadership role in the design and implementation of Uganda’s coffee roadmap that brought about Uganda’s coffee exponential growth.
“Under his leadership, Uganda strengthened its coffee quality standards, expanded farmer extension support systems, and positioned itself as one of the world’s most competitive coffee origins,” says Tumwebaze.
He says the late fought firmly in international coffee bodies/ foras demanding for the correct classification of African coffees (Uganda’s robusta & Ethiopia’s Arabica) saying he was a bold, firm and intelligent officer.
“Together with other Colleagues, he worked hard in opening up Uganda’s coffee new markets like China,” he adds.
Emmanuel Iyamulemye Niyibigira, commonly known as Emmanuel Iyamulemye, was a Ugandan agricultural scientist, businessman and corporate executive, who was the managing director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
On 17 November 2021, the UCDA board of directors appointed him to a second five-year term until UCDA was removed by the Government of Uganda.
Iyamulemye was a Ugandan by birth born in 1971. He held an undergraduate degree in agricultural science, from an undisclosed university. His master’s degree in Crop Science was awarded by Wageningen University, in the Netherlands.
He went on to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Agricultural Science from the same university. His degree of Master of Business Administration was awarded by Uganda Martyrs University.
