Buikwe South Member of Parliament, Dr. Michael Lulume Bayigga has disclosed that members of the Buganda parliamentary caucus are planning to traverse the country mobilizing farmers in coffee growing regions to resist the planned merger of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the mother ministry of agriculture, in the proposed government arrangement to cut down on spending.
According to Lulume, the Buganda legislators who plan to begin the exercise this week, will begin with Buganda regions and then embark on Bugisu sub-region, the West Nile region and the northern region. Dr. Lulume is the head of the Democratic Party faction opposed to the decision by the President of the DP mainstream faction Nobert Mao to join the NRM government.
Lulume was addressing a congregation at the thanksgiving service for the late Prof. Edward Mukasa Ssalongo Ssamanya, a Buikwe district educationist and former mayor of Nkokonjeru town council at the deceased’s home in Nkokonjeru town. The main celebrant was Mukono Bishop Emeritus James William Ssebaggala.
He said they are going to target farmers, nursery operators and coffee fertilizer dealers, with a view to convince them to let the government realize the futility of the merger plans, adding that this has been tested in India, Kenya and Honduras with negative results.
“Coffee growing is the mainstay of farmers especially in the central region, and we are leaving no stone unturned in our bid; even if it entails involving the Kabaka to join our crusade, we shall do it” Lulume said, adding that if even farmers in Gulu area have expressed support for this caucus members are optimistic that they will realise positive results.
Without elaborating, he said that unless everybody supports their cause, UCDA’s continued existence remains in a balance, and added that the country is destined to see a recurrence of a situation where government had placed coffee business in the hands of a foreigner who did not have the slightest idea of coffee business.
When former area MP David Mutebi took the podium, he fervently attacked his successor saying its myopism for anyone to think that the government would sabotage coffee business, when the UCDA is its own brainchild.
Mutebi, an NRM supporter and who has made public his intention to stand against Lulume come 2026 elections, said that for the last 15 years, the government has been bent on uplifting coffee growing and went as far as distributing seedlings to interested farmers countrywide.
He clarified that by merging UCDA with MAAIF, both government entities, the government has no other agendas other than saving undue expenditure of resources at a time when other sectors are badly demanding.
He advised the parliamentarians to instead help educate farmers on how to operate in the new situation after the merger, instead of feeding Ugandans on what he called lies.
Mutebi cautioned Ugandans to be wary of politicians he called self-seekers who he noted, start concocting divertive statements as the country nears elections.
In a separate interview, the main celebrant Bishop Ssebaggala appreciated government’s efforts to revive the co-operative movement by way of the numerous savings and co-operatives (SACCOs), adding however that getting into a tug-of-war between legislators and government over coffee development is counterproductive.
Ssebaggala said that coffee is the only crop giving grass root people hope of getting out of poverty, and added that many Ugandans of his time acquired education from proceeds from coffee sales by their parents.
He advised that efforts should be focused on educating farmers on the best practices on coffee growing, and that government and parliament should come to terms on how to handle public education on coffee growing, post-harvest handling and marketing.