Kampala, (UG):- President Museveni has maintained that the move by government to dissolve the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to rationalise expenses arguing that staff receive high salaries without doing significant work, while scientists who do much of the essential work are underpaid.
The President was Thursday addressing the nation, just a day after Parliament passed the National Coffee Amendment Bill 2024, which includes the abolition of the Coffee Authority – UCDA, with its responsibilities now transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The dissolution of UCDA faced strong opposition from opposition Members of Parliament and prominent coffee farmers saying most of the achievements registered in the coffee sector were as a result of UCDA.
However, Museveni disagreed, saying that the essential work is done by scientists. He reiterated that UCDA staff get higher salaries than scientists who do essential work.
To justify his argument, the President asked Dr Yona Baguma, the Director General of the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), who said; “Over the years, NARO has been able to develop over 1000 different crop varieties. So, most of the food we eat in this country is developed by the scientists under NARO.”
“Specifically to coffee, in 1991, you will remember very well Doctor Israel Kibege Ssebunya was able to promote the then eight Colonal coffee varieties. And then in 1997, NARO under Kituuza started what we call a breeding program for the second-generation coffee varieties. Your excellency, I am glad report to you that NARO has been able to develop a total of 10 coffee Robusta varieties; what we call KR 1 up to KR 10,” Dr Baguma added. (K stands for Kituuza while R stands for Robusta).
He (Baguma) also said that NARO has been able to start a breeding pipeline for Arabica coffee. “I am glad to report to you that previously, we have been able to release three Arabica coffee varieties. We now have a pipeline for robusta coffee and a pipeline for Arabica coffee, and we have a near promising varieties, five of them for Robusta and near promising other varieties, three for Arabica coffee,” he said.
When asked by the President to mention his salary, Baguma in response said that his first salary when he had just joined the Ministry of Agriculture in 1988 was 2,824 shillings. He added that when he joined NARO after its creation, his salary was then increased to 150,000 shillings, but said overtime, the staff would have their salaries enhanced in 2016, 2018, and 2022.
“So, you can you see the real people who help us with all these crops. They are not under UCDA. While the UCDA were getting high salaries, these people (scientists) are getting low salaries,” Museveni said after Baguma’s remarks.
“I thank the NRM MPs for putting an end to these parasitic agencies that were consuming a lot of money. Even if we save just Shs1.5 trillion every year because of the rationalization, the money will help us do developmental works like tarmacking roads,” he emphasized.
The move to merge UCDA with the Ministry of Agriculture is part of the Rationalization of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) policy whose primary goal is to merge, mainstream, and rationalize various government agencies, commissions, and authorities to reduce redundancy, eliminate duplication, and optimize public expenditure.
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