UCDA Burried As President M7 Signed Bill Into Law

UCDA Buried As President M7 Signed Bill Into Law

By Our Writer

KAMPALA

The 33 year old UCDA ceased after president Yoweri Museveni signed into law, the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The bill, which was passed by Parliament on November 6, 2024, abolished Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and integrated its functions into the Ministry of Agriculture.

The UCDA was established in 1991 under the Uganda Coffee Development Authority Act to regulate Uganda’s coffee value chain, supported research and maximised earnings for stakeholders.

It’s alleged that coffee, a major export for Uganda, generated substantial national revenue, and UCDA’s role was central to this success.

However the president and his cabinet insisted UCDA had to get disolved and the Coffee Bill was passed amidst strong resistance, especially from opposition Members of Parliament and those representing coffee growing areas in the country arguing that it’s abolition was self defeating.

The scrapping of UCDA was part of the ongoing Rationalization of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) policy aimed at merging, mainstreaming, and rationalizing various government agencies, commissions, and authorities to reduce redundancy, eliminate duplication, and optimize public expenditure.