Coffee Bill: Buganda MPs challenge Museveni's stance on UCDA

“We have set up a legal team to study the next step and give us guidance on how to proceed,” said Mr Kivumbi.

The legal team includes MPs Yusuf Nsibambi (Mawokota South), Medard Lubega Ssegona (Busiro East), Richard Lumu (Mityana South), and Flavia Nabagabbe (Kassanda District Woman MP).

Meanwhile, Dr Lulume Bayiga (Buikwe), Mr Patrick Nsamba (Kassanda North), and Mr Kivumbi will lead efforts to challenge the President's assertions.

“We are going to answer him line by line on all his arguments because they are easily impeachable,” Mr Kivumbi stated.

The opposition to the coffee Bill aligns with resistance from MPs in Western Uganda, including Mr Francis Mwijukye (Buhweju), Ms Asinansi Nyakato (Hoima City Woman MP), Mr Mbwattekamwa Gaffa (Igara West), and Mr Patrick Isingoma (Hoima Municipality). This coalition underscores growing discontent surrounding the Bill’s implications for Uganda’s coffee sector.

Mr Museveni’s recent comments addressed the debate on the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and urged rationalisation of government agencies to avoid duplication.

“The NRM provided security for scientists, rooting for the rationalisation of the UCDA to bring it back under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries. Is it rational to have an agency or authority for each of these?” the President questioned.

He criticised those bringing “nonsensical tribalism” into the conversation, noting that Buganda’s Katikkiro, Charles Peter Mayiga, had supported coffee production, which the government welcomed.

Last Thursday, 77 MPs, predominantly from the Opposition, led by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, voted against the second reading of the Bill, although a majority of MPs, 159, supported it.

Speaker Anita Among adjourned the session indefinitely, leaving the next steps uncertain as no formal communication has been issued by Parliament’s Communication and Public Affairs department.

Mr Kivumbi urged the government to “withdraw this Bill. It has caused divisions in the country, promoted hatred, and raised tribal sentiments, which is unfortunate.”

He emphasised the commitment of the caucus to oppose the Bill, saying: “Even if the President issues statements every midnight on X (formerly Twitter), we will not wash away our resolve.”

The caucus opposition rests on two minority reports submitted by MPs Asinansi Nyakato and Abed Bwanika, members of Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture.

Mr Bwanika argued: “Funding to UCDA is not wasteful expenditure. Instead, the government should increase funding for continuous research and innovation, ensuring sustainable coffee production and a resilient value chain.”

He cautioned that merging UCDA with the Ministry of Agriculture could jeopardise essential functions such as the certification and registration of coffee nurseries, inspection and licensing of processing facilities, and maintaining standards across the coffee value chain.

Ms Nyakato also opposed the transfer of UCDA but recommended a five-year transition to allow the necessary structures and personnel for quality control and accreditation to be established.

“We recommend that rationalisation of UCDA, if done, should have a transition period of five years,” she said, proposing that during this time, the government allocate adequate funding to UCDA, particularly to support coffee growing in regions such as Lango, Acholi, Karamoja, and West Nile.

Katikkiro’s call

Meanwhile, Buganda Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga has advocated enhanced funding for UCDA to support coffee production rather than dissolving it. 

Speaking to the media at Bulange Mengo, he argued that instead of merging UCDA, the government should provide more resources to help the agency reach more farmers in Uganda.

“UCDA should focus on advising farmers, maintaining quality on the farm and post-harvest, increasing crop yield, promoting coffee drinking, and exploring coffee bi-products,” Mr Mayiga stated.

He also acknowledged that selling unprocessed coffee yields lower profits but emphasised that the real value lies in accessing the consumer market. However, he admitted that Uganda’s domestic coffee market is small compared to other coffee-producing countries.

“Our roasted coffee currently struggles to penetrate European and American markets because even countries like Brazil and Vietnam still sell raw coffee to these regions,” he said.

Reflecting on past challenges in the coffee sector, Mr Mayiga mentioned attempts by the government to monopolise coffee production, such as the controversial 2020 coffee Bill and a subsequent agreement that would have granted Italian investor Enrica Pinetti exclusive control over Uganda’s coffee.

“There was a plan to give an Italian woman who knows nothing about coffee a monopoly over coffee we have grown ourselves,” he remarked.

Mr Mayiga urged Parliament to protect the UCDA’s autonomy and ensure adequate funding to support the organisation’s mandate in Uganda’s coffee sector.

“This issue is not for any particular ethnic group or cultural institution but is a matter for all Ugandans,” he said.

The Democratic Party (DP) also voiced concerns about the UCDA’s merger, calling for a more measured approach to agency rationalisation.

During a press conference, DP Spokesperson Ismail Kirya remarked: “While merging agencies can be beneficial, it should be done in phases.” 

He stressed that the government should first assess each agency’s performance against its objectives before proceeding with mergers. Mr Kirya argued that coffee farmers, who number more than 12 million, should be consulted on UCDA’s role to ensure informed decisions.

“Currently, we have over 12 million Ugandans who grow coffee, and they should be consulted before any decision about UCDA is made,” he said.

Mr Kirya also emphasised that opposition to the coffee Bill transcends ethnic lines, calling on all stakeholders to collaborate in protecting the coffee industry.

The debate surrounding the UCDA’s future highlights tensions between stakeholders advocating for sector stability and government efforts to streamline public administration.

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