Ministers defend agricultural Bills amidst concerns over document authenticity

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Agriculture minister, Frank Tumwebaze, and public service minister, Muruli Mukasa, have appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture to present and defend four agricultural Bills.

The Bills were tabled on the floor of Parliament on September 24, 2024, and were sent to the agriculture committee for discussion.

These Bills: the National Agriculture Advisory Services Amendment Bill 2024, the Dairy Industry Amendment Bill 2024, the Cotton Development Management Bill 2024, and the National Coffee Amendment Bill 2024 are required to be processed within 45 days.

The Bills seeks to enhance effectiveness in delivering services to farmers, improve resource utilisation and foster greater accountability within the sector.

On October 10, 2024, Tumwebaze outlined the rationale behind the Bills, emphasizing their alignment with the Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX), a government programme aimed at enhancing efficiency by merging agencies and reducing public expenditure.

The Bills, according to Tumwebaze, are designed to streamline the operations of various agricultural agencies, including the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), the Dairy Development Authority (DDA), and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).

"The objectives of these bills are not only to reduce duplication of roles but also to strengthen key sectors in agriculture by consolidating resources and expertise," Tumwebaze explained.

MPs demand signed copies of Bills

However, the committee's proceedings quickly turned contentious as MPs raised concerns over the absence of signed copies of the Bills.

They questioned the authenticity of the documents presented, stating that they could not proceed without officially signed versions from the agriculture minister.

Several MPs voiced their unease, arguing that they could not be certain they were reviewing the same copies as the committee chair and the minister.

“The Speaker has been clear on this issue—we must process documents that are owned and signed,” Asinansi Nyakato, City Woman Representative for Hoima City (FDC), stressed, adding that there was no need to rush the committee's review to meet the deadlines of the Bill sponsors.

The meeting became a back-and-forth debate as MPs disagreed on how to proceed without the signed documents. Nyakato noted discrepancies in the signatures on the documents and insisted that the issue should be addressed before further discussions.

Hope Grania Nakazibwe, the Deputy Chairperson of the committee and District Woman Representative for Mubende (NRM), stepped in to guide the meeting, asserting that the committee should continue its work despite the absence of signed copies, as the minister had not denied the authenticity of the bills.

“We are not operating under the pressure of the Bill sponsors. We are doing our work as a committee,” Nakazibwe said, urging the MPs to focus on the contents of the bills rather than signatures.

Robert Ndugwa Migadde, Buvuma Islands County Representative (NRM), supported Nakazibwe’s stance, suggesting that the committee should receive the documents and move forward with the discussion.

“I propose that we move on as guided by the committee chairperson, as it is not in this meeting that we shall approve the bills,” Migadde added.

Nyakato, however, maintained her stance, insisting that the minister should swear an affidavit to confirm that the signatures on both documents were indeed his.

Key ministry outputs

During the meeting, Tumwebaze highlighted several key outputs from the ministry’s crop and livestock development departments that would support the absorption of various agencies into the streamlined structure proposed under RAPEX.

He noted that the department of crop production had finalised the National Organic Agriculture Policy, reviewed and validated the Comprehensive Tea Policy and its implementation strategy and developed the 10-year National Rice Development Strategy for 2022-2030. Additionally, the ministry established 1,500 demonstration gardens for strategic crops such as rice, vanilla, and maize and trained over 1,450 agricultural extension officers on various crops.

In the animal production department, Tumwebaze reported significant progress, including training 1,350 district veterinary officers on restoring degraded landscapes in the cattle corridor.

The ministry also provided technical support to private commercial beef feedlots and regularly inspected farm establishments to meet domestic and export standards.

“These outputs demonstrate the ministry’s commitment to agricultural growth and efficiency, which will be further enhanced by the rationalisation process,” Tumwebaze asserted.

Minister Muruli supports RAPEX

Mukasa also weighed in, explaining that RAPEX is crucial for addressing the overlapping mandates of agencies like the DDA and NAADS, which have resulted in duplicated efforts and wasted resources. Mukasa emphasized that the rationalisation would result in cost savings without compromising the quality of services provided.

“There will be a net saving, and there is no way we will lose anything,” Mukasa assured the committee. “The technical structure has been overlapping in roles, and this rationalization will bring clarity and efficiency.”

Mukasa argued that RAPEX would eliminate unnecessary competition for resources among agencies and reduce the costs of government operations by streamlining responsibilities and improving coordination between policy formulation and implementation.