Opinion By Hon. Mwijukye Francis
For the second time this year, the Ugandan Parliament has been forced to deliberate on the Uganda Coffee Development Bill 2024—a bill that seeks to dissolve the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). This push, relentless in its urgency, is backed by an Executive that seems determined to dismantle the only country’s successful agricultural body.
When this bill was first tabled, MPs across party lines rejected it outright. Parliament, in rare unanimity, agreed that disbanding the UCDA would be a monumental error, a clear departure from common sense. Yet, President Museveni returned the bill, dismissing Parliament’s concerns and choosing to override the voices of coffee farmers, traders, processors, and cooperatives. One must ask: has the President forgotten whom he serves? Or has he come to believe that the Cabinet alone holds the monopoly on wisdom?
The government claims this dissolution is part of a cost-cutting strategy. But how do they justify a claim of saving money while throwing billions at shadowy projects like Atiak Sugar Ltd which has so far taken ugx 530bn without producing even a kilo of sugar? Or the infamous Enrica Pinneti’s Lubowa “Specialized” Hospital, a phantom project that has become a national embarrassment, costing Ugandan taxpayers over 400 billion shillings. And let’s not forget Roko Construction, which received over 500 billion. Is “saving money” the real goal, or is this about something far more insidious?
The idea that abolishing UCDA will eliminate duplication is equally absurd. If the government were serious about streamlining operations, why not start with the executive itself? We have a sprawling Cabinet with over 80 ministers, a dizzying array of Presidential Advisors, Assistants, and Envoys—each draining resources with little accountability. Why not reduce the redundancy of hundreds of Resident District/City Commissioners, Deputies, and Assistants? Can the President genuinely claim to desire an efficient government when it is bloated with political appointees who offer no value to Uganda?
Is there any other duplication of roles that is bigger than having over 20 Presidential Advisors on political affairs? Or having a Minister for International Relations, Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation & East African Community? What about having a Minister for Urban Planning, and two more Ministers for Kampala when there is an elected Lord Mayor? What is the difference between a Deputy RDC & an Assistant RDC? President Museveni is a champion of creating multiple power centers all doing the same work and therefore has no moral authority to talk about duplication of roles!
