Parliament passes Coffee Bill amid chaos

At exactly 1:39pm, Parliament dominated by legislators of the National Resistance Movement passed the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024, that will merge the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Bill that over the last one month birthed a war of words between the proponents led by President Museveni and the opposing side, was passed after scenes of chaos that left some legislators hospitalised and the media blocked from covering the proceedings.

From the onset, tension was palpable with roads leading to the Parliament Building teeming with security personnel. No sooner had the sitting commenced than the sparks of what lay ahead started to fly.

Heated sessions commenced right after the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, rose on a procedural provision within House Rules tasking Speaker Anita Among to apologise for her alleged tribal statements made over a week ago.

He also demanded she recuse herself from overseeing any proceedings related to the coffee matters and on the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024.

“What we saw on the national broadcaster and elsewhere, were remarks made by yourself showing that you seemed to have particular interest in the Coffee Bill. You were exchanging words with the Government Chief Whip and you asked him if he had the numbers. That was to show that you had interests in this matter,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.

He added: “The matter of conflict of interest is a very critical one, as far as I am concerned, based on your conduct, I think you have an interest in that matter and you should have declared that interest and perhaps recused yourself and excused yourself from that matter.”

However, Ms Among declined to apologise. “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 LoP 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 apologise to this country and the persons who were affected. But before that is done, because it isn’t true, I will not do it,” said Among.

 She added: “It is imperative to note that by command of Rule 77, the Speaker shall not be part of the debate, but may give guidance to the House, on the matter before the House. In the circumstance, therefore, the cited Rule is therefore inapplicable. I am not conflicted in any way. He [Ssenyonyi] cited a wrong Rule, I don’t vote and I don’t debate.”

“I am happy that the LoP has raised an issue that I am ready to respond to and I will respond to it when I come to the issue of the Coffee Bill. I will give a very appropriate response to that, when we come to the Coffee Bill.”

The fight

This triggered an incomprehensible loud uproar within chambers, especially from the Opposition side captained by Mr Ssenyonyi. In the process, the Mityana Municipality MP, Mr Francis Zaake, raised fears that there was an unidentified official with a gun in the House chambers.

“There is a gun in the House. Madama Speaker I beg, let the security official be subjected to a check [and see if] he does not have a gun,” Mr Zaake said.

Consequently, Speaker Among ordered that said officer be searched. The said officer under check was just right behind the Speaker’s Canopy. Mr Zaake, after making his point returned to assume his seat only to find it occupied by Kilak North MP Anthony Akol.

An attempt to forcefully retake his seat, sent Akol into a feat of rage and he descended on Zaake with blows, sending the House into a fracas and the evacuation of the Speaker, who suspended the House for 30 minutes.

Mr Zaake was evacuated from chambers, rushed into the ambulance before he was taken to St Francis Hospital Nsambya in Makindye Division. On return, Ms Among suspended 12 Members of Parliament for misconduct and barred them from the precincts of Parliament for three consecutive sittings.

They include Anthony Akol (Kilak North), Wakayima Musoke (Nansana Municipality), Aloysius Mukasa (Rubaga South), Charles Tebandeke (Bbale) and Isaiah Ssasaga (Budadriri East).

Others are Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality), Asinansi Nyakato (Woman MP Hoima City), Derrick Nyeko (Makindye East), Frank Kabuye (Kassanda South), Ronald Evan Kanyike (Bukoto East), Susan Mugabi (Woman MP Buvuma District) and Shamim Malende (Kampala Woman).

At this point, there was a black out on the House with live feeds cut off and journalists locked in a conference room in the basement.

Sources say a section of legislators among the 12 were forcefully removed and others beaten.

“Members were beaten, brutalised, all of us were being shoved around like little children in our own House. They were stepping on these chairs, pushing and they picked up a couple of MPs, while beating them up. Our colleagues were assaulted, including women, by men, whom we don’t know, they aren’t staff of Parliament, they don’t belong to the Sergeant at Arms office, they are hooligans and “kanyamas” that came in, with a mission, to beat up MPs,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.

Following the chaos and what they termed as abuse of their colleagues, the Opposition legislators, with the exception of a few elected to boycott the sitting, leaving the NRM legislators to process and vote in favour of the Bill.

The Bill

The National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024, will upon assent by the President and after a transitional period of three years, return the activities of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to the Ministry of Agriculture.

UCDA has been the lead agency in driving the coffee production and trade, including regulating all on-farm and off-farm activities in the coffee value chain, promote and oversee the quality of coffee along the value chain, support research and development, promote production and improve the marketing of coffee to optimise earnings for coffee stakeholders in the country.

It also plays a pivotal role in overseeing coffee quality to ensure compliance with export contracts and international food safety standards. “The Committee was informed that the coffee sub-sector contributes between 7 percent to 22 percent to the country’s GDP.

It employees approximately 12.5 million people along the coffee value chain (directly and indirectly). “In FY 2023/2024, coffee contributed about 55.5 percent to agricultural exports.

The Committee is of the view that the mandate of UCDA being a going concern as it promotes one of our key export earners that has a multiplier effect throughout the economy, is better served by the agency Model in the interim as the Ministry builds capacity to seamlessly take over the mandate of UCDA,” the Committee reported Despite okaying the merger, the Committee argued that; Mainstreaming UCDA into MAAIF immediately, risks compromising quality and research efforts, and may lead to information asymmetry. It would also jeopardise critical functions, leading to adverse effects on Uganda’s coffee exports and competitiveness.”

To avoid this, Parliament has tasked the minister to provide bi-annual reports on progress of the ministry towards attainment of the requisite capacity to undertake the mandate of UCDA.

In the new law, the Minister for Agriculture has been given the regulatory role, charged with among others formulating policies to develop a strategy for promoting the cultivation of recommended types and varieties of coffee in Uganda. Clause 41 of the Bill also mandates the ministry to by law, promote the consumption of coffee locally.

What they say

Budadiri East legislator Nandala Mafabi: “We want the ministry to be the advertising agency of the people producing coffee.”

Minister of Agriculture, Frank Tumwebaze: “Mine is to register a vote of appreciation and to pledge our support to ensure that the coffee value chain is developed to ensure that our exports continue to gain access to the international market. We shall ensure that our laboratories continue to be fully accredited. With your support we shall ensure that our research institutes continue to produce the best varieties and our coffee profile as a country will continue to go up.”

The Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Ms Agnes Linda Puma, (Lira Woman MP: “I am happy that we have reached a positive conclusion and do support the ministry. As a committee, we will work together [with the Ministry of Agriculture] to consolidate the effort achieved.’’

Keffa kiwanuka, Kiboga:

“There is fear in the community that the promotion of the coffee sector will go down and this is helping us to create some accountability, to ensure the minister reports to Parliament regularly. This will be reassuring to the community.”

Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of Opposition:

“We don’t know whether it was a set-up like that, really, for all of what happened to happen as it did. From the word go, as we arrived at Parliament, the situation was different. There was heavy security deployment, those in uniform, those not in uniform, and members were finding it hard to even access Parliament, the premises of Parliament. After switching off the lights, they switched off the network. There was no connectivity. And then we saw Kanyama’s hooligans in plain clothes, in vests, in tight shirts.

Clearly, Kanyama’s, we don’t know where they picked them up from. They entered the chambers, they began to shove us around, beat up people, and then they were picking up a couple of MPs. Taking them in a very rough manner outside their house. And as we were asking, who are you? What are you doing here? They were pushing us around, shoving everybody off. And clearly, s at the instruction of the Speaker of Parliament.”