Published on 06/11/2024
Parliament passed the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 on Wednesday, dissolving the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
The decision followed a by two suspensions from Speaker Anita Among leading to chaos in the House. Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, led opposition legislators in a walkout, protesting the proceedings.
This left the Bill’s passage largely unchallenged by the opposition sparking concerns about transparency. The dissolution of UCDA shifts regulatory control over coffee—a critical export—prompting questions about the future of Uganda’s coffee sector.
The first suspension was for 30 minutes after two opposition legislators got involved in a physical altercation shortly after State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru moved a motion for the second reading of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Repeal Bill, 2024.
Shortly after the motion was moved, Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake reported that he has seen a gun in the House something that is against the rules. Following a futile attempt to search the Speaker’s bodyguard, Zaake retreated and immediately attempted to lift off the Chair, Kilak North MP, Anthony Akol who in turn punched him severally on the head.
A scuffle ensued next to the Speaker’s Chair which prompted, Among, to run for her safety via the exit door of the ruling side. She immediately returned and suspended House for 30 minutes. It was after the resumption that the Speaker suspended 12 legislators including Akol and Zaake for three consecutive sittings for causing violence in the House.
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Others suspended are Wakayima Musoke, MP Nansana Municipality; Shamim Malende, Kampala Woman MP; Susan Mugabi, Kalangala District Woman MP; Isaiah Sasaga, MP Budadiri West; Evans Kanyike, MP Bukoto East; Asinasi Nyakato, Hoima City Woman MP; Frank Kabuye, MP Kassanda North; and, Charles Tebandeke, MP Bbaale County; Alozyious Mukasa, MP Rubaga North; and Derrick Nyeko, MP Makindye East.
“I am proceeding to name the MPs and suspend these members for three consecutive sittings from this House. The Members are suspended with immediate effect from the House. I am also evoking Rule 88 (2) to order the above MPs to withdraw immediately from the House and accordingly order the Sergeant-At-Arms that they vacate the Chambers,” ruled, Among.
Before leading a walkout, LOP, Ssenyonyi questioned the act by security personnel to manhandle some of the opposition legislators and the kicking Journalists off the press gallery before confining them to the conference hall.
“You have suspended a couple of MPs, and you have said, you can suspend the whole House and so you know, none of us is scared of being suspended, what we want is to protect the sanctity of this House. Members can’t be bundled up, beaten up in this House; the Media was thrown out as if to say, you were prepared to committee a crime. Because the reason why proceedings of this House are public, it is because the public has got to follow whatever is happening here,” said Ssenyonyi.
The Journalists were later allowed back to the gallery without gadgets while the streaming of proceedings of the House on YouTube resumed.
It was at the second resumption that the Speaker averred the Order Paper for the House majorly comprised of ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) legislators to first consider the controversial National Coffee Bill.
The Bill which will see the dissolution of UCDA take a transitional period of 3 years was finally passed by 305 legislators at 2:40pm.
Parliament while ensuring its oversight on the coffee sub-sector, inserted into the Bill a provision that the Minister responsible for Agriculture shall table regulations within six months of the commencement of the Act.
Gov’t delight Agriculture Minister, Frank Tumwebaze was jubilant after the passing of the Bill saying that his Ministry will do all that is possible to ensure that coffee sub-sector grows and meets the projections that havebeen there under UCDA.
“I wish to express my gratitude as a sponsor of the Bill to thank you Madam Speaker, MPs, President, Vice President and Prime Minister. Coffee is indeed our premium beverage in this country. We shall continue as a Ministry with your support to ensure that the coffee value chain is developed, coffee continues to access the international market and that the laboratories are operating,” said Tumwebaze.
The opposition especially legislators from coffee growing areas have been up in the arms against the objective of dissolving UCDA. Whereas the Government was anchoring its proposal of rationalisation of saving funds and ending overlapping roles between agencies and mother Ministries, the opposition legislators asserted that the coffee sub-sector would collapse in the absence of UCDA which has been in existence for 32 years.
With support from Buganda Kingdom and coffee farmers across the country, the opposition MPs wanted UCDA to be saved because Uganda would lose international certifications and accreditation. The Government has insisted that accreditation for the Ugandan coffee to the international organisations would not be an issue because the experts who were in UCDA will still continue doing the same under a department to be established in the Ministry.
The fight “Museveni, leave our coffee”. Opposition legislators chanted on Tuesday as they declared a spirited fight against the passing of the Uganda National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024. To majority of the opposition legislators after losing the battle to block the Bill has month with 77 votes against 159, there was only one option-blocking the Committee stage of the Bill.
Presisent Yoweri Museveni on Friday last week met with the NRM caucus at his farm in Kishozi, Gomba District where he warned the opposition off the rationalisation of UCDA, and was quoted to have said he would “counterattack”.
However, with the tension at Parliament in which all legislators including the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa were subjected to a thorough check at the entrance, the opposition side of the House was a boiling point from the onset.
The Speaker first declined to make a ruling on the procedural point raised by Ssenyonyi who had referred to the tribal sentiments and action of Anita Among during the previous sitting; something he belied amounted to tribalism and conflict of interest.
The Speaker suggested that she would make her ruling when the item on the National Coffee Bill, 2024 is considered. Immediately, raising appoint of privilege, Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda expressed concern over the security situation at Parliament with fears that security personnel might arrest legislators like it was in 2017 during the Presidential Age Limit debate.
“I have been here for a while now; we have been subjected to humiliation by security as we were coming to Parliament this morning, and this did not affect only opposition MPs. We were removed from our vehicles. There are un-uniformed military personnel in Parliament who are more than the 500 MPS.
I am not certain that there are no guns in this building. The point of privilege is for you to subject everybody, and we empty the building. People who kidnapped us came from here. We need to empty these rooms,” said Ssemujju.
The Speaker insisted that there was no suspicious situation at Parliament, saying the unfamiliar security situation was because the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) was holding its sittings within the Parliament of Uganda.
Delivering a ruling on the issues raised by Ssenyonyi, the Speaker stated shortly after the passing of the National Coffee Bill that she was not ready to apologise for her alleged utterances against the Baganda, saying she had been quoted out context.
“From the onset, I wish to state that I was quoted out of context. In any event, this House is a House of record and being the custodian of the Rules of Procedure and being the House of Record, and if anybody feels that I mentioned what the Leader of Opposition mentioned, I want to urge that member, to bring documentary evidence and lay on table. And once it is true that I said what he said, then, I will be able to apologize to this County and the persons who were affected. But before that is done, because it is not true, I will not do it,” she ruled.
