Speaker halts plenary as Ssenyonyi charges MPs against Coffee Bill
Several seats in the Parliament chambers seen empty after legislators exited to be subjected to headcount. The Speaker Anita Among, in accordance with Rule 101 of Rules of Procedure subjected the report of the committee on the National Coffee Bill to a headcount vote after several MPs stood in disapproval of the outcome of the voice voting. PHOTO/ DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The Bill seeks to return the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the government's Rationalization of Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) policy.
Plenary sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Among was Thursday afternoon temporarily halted after the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mr Joel Ssenyonyi charged legislators to oppose the decision to head into the mid and final stages of processing the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024.
The Bill seeks to return the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries as part of the government's Rationalization of Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) policy.
MPs gesture after standing up in disapproval of the outcome of the voice voting on the report of the committee on the National Coffee Bill on October 24, 2024. PHOTO/ DAVID LUBOWA
The debate on the said item commenced at about 12:06pm with most submissions made by the opposition- leaning members who were all against the plan by government to rationalize UCDA.
Other submissions were made by Constitutional Affairs Minister, Mr Norbert Mao and the State Minister for Agriculture Lt Col (rtd) Bright Rwamirama who tried to persuade MPs to endorse the Bill.
“We have been debating on this and I have allowed 74 members to discuss this issues," said the Speaker before putting a question to have the Bill subjected to the second reading, which prompted Mr Ssenyonyi to rally legislators from the opposition side to reject the move.
The MPs rejected the verdict Ms Among had delivered out of verbal voting on her question.
As the case was on Wednesday, Mr Ssenyonyi on Thursday invoked Rule 101(b) of the Parliament's Rules of Procedure which allows MPs to stand in protest against the ruling of the speaker.
For about five minutes, the MPs, especially on the opposition side kept heckling in protest.
"I can ask my colleagues to just be calm and listen as I draw your attention to Rule 101…Hon Speaker, these are over 40 members and they are standing in disapproval of the vote that you have announced," Mr Ssenyonyi told Speaker Among.
He added: "So I would like to draw you attention to this our rule to conduct the voting the other way by roll call, by division so that it is clear. Because what you have announced we believe that the "Nos" carried the day but you announced ‘yes’, and that is why we have stood up so that is clarified clearly."
Eventually, the Bukedea Woman MP yielded and subjected the report of the committee on the National Coffee Bill to a headcount, in accordance with Rule 101 of Rules of Procedure.
She ordered all the members to vacate the plenary chambers for head counting.
After counting, the Speaker returned to the House chambers and announced to members that 77 of them had voted against (Nays) the second reading while 159 members had voted in support.
After reading the results, Ms Among adjourned the House sine die.
