You blackmailed M7 and lost UCDA
We have stood a week of political noise over the sucessful motion in Parliament to return the Uganda Coffee Development Authority to the mother Ministry of Agricluture ,Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
The much hyped motion backed by Mengo and Legislators from the National Unity Platform sought to ‘Save’ the coffee industry by maintaining UCDA whose perfomance is undoubtedly impressive.
Uganda exported 6.13 million bags of coffee in 2023/2024 valued at USD 1.144 billion an increase in volume of 6.33% and 35.29% in vaule compared to the previous year. This performance of coffee is a combination of a number of factors UCDA’s management being of them. Those against the merger wanted to potray this as an exceptional state agency competently managed to survive right among many others failing.
By the loud talk that MAAIF was ill equiped and incompetent to take on the functions of UCDA, the Pro UCDA, MPs opened Museveni,s eyes to blackmail and corruption that has been going on under these agencies . These agencies are the reason bank accounts of many opposition MPs are fat and have been the Cashcow under the Committee on Statutory Agencies and State Enterpries (COSASE) for long.
I have used the analogy of a family where the wife and children seek to over throw the father as the head of family for the maid claiming the maid is very competent that if she leaves the home it will collapse . The belief that the father not even the mother are competent to her levels. How can UCDA in isolation be more competent than its mother ministry to an extent of singing slogans of no UCDA no coffee!
This is the third straight issue of national importance that the National Unity Platform legislators have lost due to activism and blamed the Speaker Anita Among for their loss. Of course the bad blood that runs between her and NUP supremo is evident.
The activism that the Buganda caucus MPs exhibited prior and during the debate on UCDA merger, the cohesion and unity was unprecedented and therefore suspicious . I have heard people blame the speaker Anita Among for tribalizing the Coffee ‘issues”, Oh Jesus , when do tribes become bad? Parliament is grouped into tribal groups like the Acholi Parliamentary group, Buganda parliamentary Caucus, Busoga and more. These are units for call-out on specific issues affecting a particular region . The Busoga caucus fought the Sugar Act as a core affected group. . Ankole fights hard if the issues are beef and milk and this has been the case always.
So, for Coffee it was the Buganda caucus anddon’t allow their position was not the government and NRM’s position. The speaker would definitely act for he who pays the piper and therefore no big deal in “those baganda to have numbers” it was a government Vs Mengo and NUP activism. One had to have a side because no speaker remains nuetral against his/her mother party. Kadaga tried it and you all know where she is now.
I would therefore argue that the political naivety, immaturity, corruption and blackmail by those who wanted to maintain UCDA were loud enough to awaken a sleeping lion and so they lost the battle and war . You cannot blackmail Museveni in his own govermnet , this has been demonstrated over time.
UCDA under MAAIF will still work because what matters is not the authority per say but the coffee farmers, disease resistant variety and availability of market. Once the market is available production and standards become self -enforcing.
Museveni is immune to political activism and noise but not anything closer to antagonizing the economy. Once you said by merging UCDA “he was serving the baganda with poison…”, You lost it.
Amos Kaguta’s Son likes such battles and indeed wins them, read his “Musevenomics”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH : ACTIVISM, TRIBALISM HIT UCDA NOT AMONG
