President Museveni making a point on rationalisation
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I President Yoweri Museveni’s signing into law of the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill 2024 has sealed the fate of one of Uganda’s most dynamic agencies.
The Bill, which was passed by Parliament on November 6, 2024, has now integrated the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) its functions into the Ministry of Agriculture.
This effectively ends the raucous that was put up by the opposition Members of Parliament and prominent coffee farmers, who still wanted UCDA to be semi-autonomous.
Their line of argument was that most of the achievements registered in the coffee sector were as a result of UCDA, a position rubbished by the President, who fronted the view that the essential work was done by scientists.
President Museveni assenting to the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill
His take was that the UCDA staff receive high salaries without doing significant work, while scientists who do much of the essential work are underpaid.
The dissolution of UCDA was part of the Rationalization of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) policy.
This aims to merge, mainstream, and rationalize various government agencies, commissions, and authorities to reduce redundancy, eliminate duplication, and optimize public expenditure.
It remains to be seen what direction the coffee sector will take, given the many global challenges facing the crop, such as fluctuating prices and competition from big producers like Brazil.
