By Kato Jamil
Members of Parliament from coffee-growing regions have strongly opposed the dissolution of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and transferring its responsibilities to the Ministry of Agriculture. They warn that such a move would lead to the decline of Uganda’s coffee sector, drawing parallels with the Ministry’s poor handling of crops like vanilla and tea.
Leading the opposition, Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County), Chairperson of the Buganda Parliamentary Caucus, questioned why Parliament would entrust Uganda’s coffee sector to a ministry with a track record of failure in managing agricultural projects.
“If the Ministry of Agriculture has performed well, let the Minister show us one crop they’ve successfully managed to give us confidence,” Kivumbi challenged. He went on to highlight how the Ministry has overseen the decline of tea, vanilla, and even fisheries, which required military intervention to save. “Good business is about predictability and durability,” he added, underscoring the need for stability in the coffee sector.
Kivumbi further criticized the Ministry of Agriculture’s inability to demonstrate capacity or competence, stressing that current audit reports reveal serious performance shortcomings. He warned against legislating in hope, stating, “We are legislating in anticipation that someday this Ministry will have the capacity. But right now, they don’t.”
Echoing this sentiment, Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi urged the government to empower UCDA instead of burdening the Ministry of Agriculture with additional roles. Ssenyonyi pointed out that the Ministry is already struggling with its current mandate, and adding coffee to its portfolio would only exacerbate its challenges.
“The Ministry should focus on what it’s already doing, while UCDA should be empowered to continue its work in the coffee sector,” Ssenyonyi argued. He acknowledged that while UCDA faces some challenges, they pale in comparison to those faced by the Ministry. Ssenyonyi also called on Parliament to listen to MPs from coffee-growing areas, as their constituents are directly affected.
Ssenyonyi drew attention to a previous debate about the dairy and cotton sectors, where MPs from those regions defended their sectors and requested that their agencies remain with the Ministry of Agriculture. “Today, MPs from coffee-growing regions are speaking out, and we need to listen to them,” he added.
Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Nobert Mao, added a historical perspective, condemning those who mocked Northern Uganda for its late entry into coffee growing. He explained that the region’s initial reluctance was due to historical misinformation by British colonialists, who falsely claimed that coffee wouldn’t thrive there. Mao noted that Northern Uganda has recently started growing coffee, debunking this myth.
Mao also dismissed the notion that Uganda must choose between the Ministry of Agriculture and UCDA to manage coffee. He argued that many Ugandans are successfully growing coffee without the direct involvement of either agency, proving that both entities can coexist.
As the debate continues, MPs from coffee-growing areas are adamant that dissolving UCDA would be a misstep, one that could undermine Uganda’s coffee industry and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.
“The British told us a very big lie that coffee doesn’t grow in Northern Uganda, because they were whites and better educated than them, we believed them. And the hidden purpose was to force the people in the North to enroll in the Army and choose salaries over self-employment. So, I think it is wrong to say, we aren’t to blame that you never caught up with coffee,” said Mao.
Efforts by some MPs to stop the reading of The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for second reading was lost after MPs 159Mps voted in favour of proceeding the consideration of the Bill to Committee stage, against the 77 MPs who wanted the Bill dropped. The consideration of the Bill will resume when Parliament returns, although it isn’t known when this will be, because the Speaker Among adjourned the House sine die.
