Speaker Anita Among (pictured) has denied claims that Parliament is trying to suffocate a debate on the report on the controversial coffee agreement signed between Ministry of Finance and Uganda Vinci Coffee Company (UVCC).
The Speaker called for calm, saying Parliament will debate the report by the Trade Committee, but failed to attach timelines on when the debate will take place.
The Speaker made the remarks in her communication during the plenary sitting where she decried the numerous sentiments within the public, with questions swirling why Parliament has been playing cat and mouse games on the coffee report.
Among kicked off with her rant telling lawmakers that when they are in Parliament, they legislate for the people, assuring them that although she has heard a lot of sentiments from MPs about the coffee report, the report will be presented to Parliament.
“Nobody should imagine that we are suffocating the report, we are here for the people outside, we are representatives of so many people, so when you start with those sentiments, it isn’t very good for you. Because when you start accusing the presiding officer, then you are accusing yourselves,” she said.
The Speaker urged Ministers to admit their mistakes and seek forgiveness from both Parliament and public for the good of the coffee sector.
“I want to urge my brothers on the front bench (Ministers) where there are mistakes, just admit there are mistakes, we correct the mistakes and we move on. I mean we are all human beings bound to make mistakes and if you make a mistake, it doesn’t mean we criminalise you but we make sure we correct you. So the report will be out soon and you will debate it,” said Among.
As if to further provoke her wrath, some MPs accused Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija for making disrespectful remarks at Parliament while discussing the coffee report, a provocation that played out well with Speaker continuing in her rants.
She added: “Anything that is in the House, don’t go outside and start talking about what is in the House. And don’t start demonizing parliament, and when you start saying parliament has no powers to do anything, this House can make any decisions good or bad.”
Kira Municipality’s Ibrahim Ssemujju asked the Speaker to forgive MPs who have failed at their duties to educate Ugandans, saying that when they get hold of information that the report is ready, they think it is going to be discussed immediately.
Ssemujju praised Among for giving motherly advice to Ministers involved in the coffee deal to seek forgiveness, saying he wouldn’t want Minister Kasaija to end up in Luzira Maximum Prison like former Vice President, Gilbert Bukenya and Security Minister Jim Muhwezi just because of a coffee agreement.
“Even Ministers can go there, at your age you shouldn’t go to jail because of an agreement. So I want to thank you Speaker for giving motherly advice to people on the front bench. You weren’t in Kololo when prison warders wanted to handcuff a policeman Laban is the one who intervened and said don’t intervene the former Vice President, we are going to be shamed as a country. I don’t want to see the elder Kasaija on handcuffs to Luzira,” said Ssemujju.
Minister Kasaija, however, fired back saying anyone is a candidate to the haunted Luzira prisons remarking, “You know government has got systems and if you don’t follow them, you will be in trouble. Like my friend said that for me to go to Luzira, all of us are candidates.”
In the leaked report by Parliament’s Trade Committee that scrutunised the coffee deal, the Committee made a number of recommendations pointing out that in light of the violations of the various laws, the Agreement executed between Government of Uganda and Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited is unconstitutional, illegal, void, ab initio and unenforceable at law.
“The Government is directed to terminate this Agreement and report to Parliament, within 6 months from the date of adoption of this report,” the report reads.
The Committee added that upon termination, Government should regularize its relationship with Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited through proper due diligence, due process and proper stakeholder consultation before any further business can proceed, thus initiating fresh negotiations.
The Committee also wants Government to consider extending appropriate incentives to the already existing 47 local companies that are doing value addition and also called on Government to fast track the capitalization of UDC to the enable the Corporation to invest in soluble coffee plants.
It further adds: “The officials who committed Government to such illegalities should be penalized as a deterrent mechanism to stop similar occurrences in future.”
