Among warns MPs on planned demo during coffee agreement debate
Speaker Anita Among
Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among has this morning issued a stern warning to a section of members who allegedly plan to disrupt House proceedings and stage a demonstration once the debate on the coffee report comes up on the floor.
In her warning as the plenary opened this morning at 10am Wednesday, the Speaker said she would deal with all persons behind the demonstration.
“I want to give this strong warning. I have heard that there are members who want to demonstrate during the debate of the coffee report,” Ms Among said.
She added: “People who are coming in with T-shirts, I am waiting. I am aware; I even know where the T-shirts are. I’m warning members if I see that kind of demonstration I will stop [presentation of] the report."
The MPs have close to two weeks been waiting for the report to be tabled in the House and debated.
The said report is a product of the probe that was conducted by the Trade committee of Parliament chaired by Mbarara City South MP, Mwine Mpaka, who after a week revealed that it was ready for presentation in the House.
Speaker Anita Among said she got information that some MPs had procured T-shirts which they intended to wear as they demonstrate on the floor of Parliament
The probe looked into details of the agreement between government and the Uganda Vinci Coffee Company (UVCC).
President Museveni last week reportedly cleared the committee to table and debate the findings.
Mr Museveni’s clearance comes after the presentation of the probe report went missing on the House’s order papers for a fortnight.
Sunday Monitor reported that the President on Friday held a closed-door meeting with six lawmakers on the 28-strong parliamentary committee on trade. The meeting spanned two hours.
Mr Gaffa Mbwatekamwa (Kasambya County), who attended the meeting, revealed it was resolved that presentation of the probe report be put on the order paper early next week.
“The President accepted that the report should be tabled and we are not changing anything,” Mr Mbwatekamwa told Sunday Monitor, adding, “I am assuring the members [who weren’t there] and all Ugandans that we are not intending to change any clause in the report.”
