Kampala– In a press briefing held yesterday , November 28, 2024, at the National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters in Makerere Kavule, party leaders voiced strong concerns over the National Coffee Bill 2024. The bill, they claim, could harm Uganda’s valuable coffee industry.
Butambala County MP, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi, explained that similar policies have been tried in neighboring countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, where coffee agencies were shut down and merged with agricultural ministries. However, the experiment failed, leading those countries to return to an agency model. He urged the government to learn from these examples and avoid repeating the same mistake in Uganda.
Party President, Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine backed Hon. Kivumbi’s views, arguing that the bill is another attempt by the government to slow economic growth in coffee-producing regions. He pointed out how other cash crops like vanilla and tobacco have also suffered due to government policies, becoming less profitable for farmers.
Kyagulanyi also challenged the government’s claim that the bill aims to reduce administrative costs, noting that it has, in fact, created more administrative offices, including those of assistant Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and a new State House Revenue Intelligence Unit.
The NUP leadership praised its parliamentary members for resisting such bills, stating that they stand against any legislation that could harm Ugandan citizens.
At the briefing, the party also introduced Sultana Salim (Tana) as the NUP candidate for the upcoming Kisoro Woman MP by-election. Additionally, NUP announced that its nationwide tour will resume next week in Eastern region.
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