Political Ambition Over People’s Interests: Coffee Debate Exposes Muwanga’s Empty Rhetoric

The chairperson of a generally asleep Buganda Parliamentary Caucus, Muwanga Kivumbi, found himself under intense scrutiny for exploiting the recently passed National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024 to resurrect his dwindling political career in Butambala to fierce competitors especially Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi, disregarding the welfare of coffee farmers.

Before the bill’s debate on November 6^th, 2024, Butambala MP Kivumbi unleashed a barrage of threats against Speaker Anita Among and President Museveni, vowing to block the bill’s passage at whatever cost.

Through varied media outlets, Kivumbi boasted about his determination to lead the crusade against the Speaker and the President, even threatening to physically, lift the speaker from her speakership chair.

Addressing a press conference in late October, Muwanga demanded that the Speaker publicly apologize to the Buganda Kingdom and Buganda MPs or face his wrath.

This followed alleged tribal remarks by the Speaker during the National Coffee Amendment Bill debate, which did not go down well with the Baganda who felt that the speaker had crossed the line by tribalizing the matter of rationalizing the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.

Vowing that he was not the usual chairperson of the caucus with the largest membership, Muwanga assured the public that his caucus would not be cowed to stage any Mathias Mpuuga-like walkout(s) of parliament, asserting that the entire war would have to be fought, won, or lost on the Parliament’s floor of parliament’s chambers.

He re-echoed this same avow before Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine, the National Unity Platform leader, who is the archbishop of politics of the galley shrouded in empty rhetoric, blackmail, grandstanding, etc

Gagged Others On Coffee Debate

In the public fray, Kivumbi moved out of his way to silence any caucus member who held alternative views from his-and-likes just oppose without an alternative on the Coffee Bill, allowing only a select few from the mainstream NUP supporters to speak.

This move was exemplified when Kivumbi swiftly dismissed Kimanya-Kabonera MP Abed Bwanika’s proposal for a 5-year transitional period in front of ever-flat opposer of any idea that is not initiated by Kyagulanyi at Makerere Kavule party office.

“The five years being proposed by Abed as a transitional period, that is his personal view, our caucus’ position is clear, we are opposed to the National Coffee amendment bill,” said Kivumbi who was cheered by Kyagulanyi and other participants of the presser.

Initially, Bwanika who had earlier convinced President Museveni to allow a 3-year transitional period for the UCDA as a compromising position, had sought to persuade parliament to enlarge the transitional period to 5 years. This became an issue to attack Bwanika from one-size-fit brain Muwanga, and NUP supporters who have built their movement on uninformed blackmail. They claimed that Bwanika was acting as Museveni’s hired gun to take over coffee.

Eventually, when the president had what the caucus chairperson Muwanga, and NUP supporters said, he hastily summoned the cabinet and the NRM caucus MPs to announce his change of heart on the compromise he had primarily but painfully consented to.

He told them, that henceforth, he wanted the coffee amendment bill to be passed by parliament without the 3-year transitional period on grounds that the opposition would use it as a weapon to tell further lies against him during the forthcoming 2026 elections.

Smokescreen

However, Muwanga’s barrage of threats and blackmailing of peers to back off the coffee debate were merely a cover-up, concealing his true intentions.

As the debate commenced on Wednesday, Kivumbi’s tough talk evaporated, and he remained strangely silent.

His absence of substantial contributions starkly contrasted with his earlier pledges to prevent the Speaker from chairing the session. The Speaker, Anita Among, ultimately suspended 12 MPs for their involvement in the chaos that erupted during the debate.

As the actual debate on the coffee sector was opened up, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi announced a walkout, rendering Kivumbi’s and his own earlier stance mere empty rhetoric.

In effect, this allowed the NRM party, which enjoys the majority in Parliament to almost debate amongst themselves before the eventual passage of the controversial National Coffee amendment bill, 2024 without any resistance.

In contrast, some opposition MPs, such as Nandala Mafabi (FDC), Asuman Basalirwa (JEEMA), UPC, and some DP MPs remained and constructively contributed to the debate.

Despite the blackmail from NUP MPs, Mafabi,  articulated his reasoning for defying the walkout order by LoP Ssenyonyi.

He said, “I approach my role with professionalism and commitment in everything I do. I couldn’t imagine explaining to the coffee farmers of Bugisu, Buganda, Kasese, and all across Uganda that, while a crucial bill was being debated, I was outside ‘in solidarity’ with MPs fighting for chairs to seat rather than fighting for our people’s interests.”

He explained, “Ultimately, it is up to Ugandans to judge: those of us who stayed on the battlefield until the very last moment or those who backed out before the mission even started. Politics, to me, is serious work, not a performance. I’m not here for theatrics; I’m here to serve.”

He concluded, “colleagues, I am sorry, but even when I was presenting, I found myself standing, so my being in the parliament had no connections with seats, but the farmers’ problems.”

Mafabi’s reasoning speaks to his commitment to the people’s interests, and it is in stark contrast to Kivumbi’s self-serving agenda.

The Minister of ICT aptly summarized the situation saying “that forum of parliament is for us to debate…if the views of government are not comfortable to you, the opposition should use the microphones they have to challenge us, not fighting as the opposition did to themselves inside Parliament.”

Kivumbi’s lack of strategic foresight, coupled with his reliance on inflammatory rhetoric and blackmail, ultimately led to the significant loss of potential gains for coffee farmers.

Kivumbi’s behaviors and actions betrayed the trust of those who believed in his crusade, revealing a politician more concerned with personal ambition than the welfare of his constituents, and the country at large.

As the dust settles, Ugandans are left questioning themselves; will Kivumbi, and his peers in NUP ever start prioritizing the people’s interests on such dicey matters or continue to exploit sensitive issues for personal gain?