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Coffee Bill: Anglican Church urges calm ahead of prayers for God’s intervention

Church of Uganda Archbishop Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu says the Coffee Bill will be amongst the things for which they are seeking God’s intervention through a dedicated three prayer days for Uganda.

The Anglican Church of Uganda has called for calm amidst the ongoing debate on the controversial National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that seeks to integrate Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) within the Agriculture Ministry.

Government insists that the move is aimed at excluding bloated structures in the country.

But the bill has sparked debate with sections of the public saying the move would financially harm coffee growers, setting them on course to lose a lot of money.

Several people opposed to the bill backed by President Museveni argue that UCDA has been exclusively promoting and regulating coffee production in the country and phasing it out would mean loss of a credible support system for farmers.

There are also fears on whether the Agriculture Ministry will manage the coffee business effectively. 

Now, Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu says the Coffee Bill will be amongst the things for which they are seeking God’s intervention through three prayer days for Uganda in late November.

“Let me invite you to the Uganda Martyrs Site-Namugongo from November 20-23. It is in times like these when we are challenged by many things like the Coffee Bill, Marriage Bill, poverty, domestic violence…nudity among young people, which is becoming a normal thing,” he observed.

“We are calling upon Christians to come for prayers so that we can really have God’s intervention in [these issues],” the archbishop told journalists at the Church’s headquarters in Namirembe, Kampala.

However, he declined to further his stand on the specifics of the Coffee Bill but Church of Uganda Provincial Treasurer Balaam Muheebwa told Monitor that the ongoing squabbles should be resolved sooner than later.

“The ongoing arguments should be handled in a mature and peaceful way. We don’t want to see fights,” Muheebwa said.

He added: “The ongoing debate is intriguing for some of us. We want to see money coming, land protected- and coffee yield something for the farmers rather than thieves taking it.”

Parliament last week put off the debate on the Coffee Bill amidst disputes.

Opposition lawmakers including Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) Joel Ssenyonyi strongly objected proposals of the bill, instead suggesting that UCDA should be empowered to work better rather than taking it under the Ministry of Agriculture.