The opposition caucus in parliament convened on Tuesday ahead of a showdown tomorrow as the house convened to pass the controversial National Coffee (Amendment) Bill 2024, which seeks to abolish the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.
The opposition MPs led by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, committed to continue opposing the contentious bill a day after cabinet resolved to whip the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) members to support the dissolution of UCDA in tomorrow’s sitting.
While addressing the press today, the opposition also vowed to start from where they left off in the previous session, opposing the proposed move on coffee which they say is ill-intentioned.
According to Joel Ssenyonyi, the coffee problem should not be turned into a partisan battle between the NRM and the opposition, and he urged all Mps not to be intimidated by those threatening to “crush” them, reminding them that only their constituents have the power to do so.
“We are going to start from where we stopped. There has been many threats; as you enter Parliament, you see all the whole building cordoned off and we hear that tomorrow is going to be worse. But we are not going to be intimidated. We were sent here by our voters and therefore none of those people (security) brought us here.” Ssenyonyi said adding they (opposition members) understand what the law says and therefore they will go by what the law says.
In a statement released on Monday, the NRM caucus urged it’s members to attend the sitting on Wednesday in large numbers and ensure the National Coffee Bill is passed. The statement also indicated that cabinet had resolved to shift from the earlier position which provided a 3-year transition period for UCDA to shift its functions to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & fisheries.
