The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, made it crystal clear: she won’t be offering any apologies to Buganda over the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024, no matter how much heat comes her way.
The scene unfolded on Wednesday, during a fiery debate that would have made popcorn sales skyrocket. The discussion centered on the Coffee Bill, and Among stood her ground like a rock in a storm.
What’s all the fuss about, you ask? Well, a video has been floating around on social media, with people claiming it shows the Speaker saying something about “defeating Buganda” when it comes to this controversial bill. It was enough to get Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition, fired up.
He came in hot, saying, “Madam Speaker, you seemed to be picking a bone with the Baganda. We heard you say, ‘Let’s make sure these Baganda don’t win.’ But coffee doesn’t grow only in Buganda; it’s a national treasure!”
Ssenyonyi wasn’t done yet. He said he was shocked and disappointed, like someone who ordered coffee and got tea instead. “Is this bill really a covert attack on Buganda?” he asked. “Does the Government have a hidden agenda? We need answers!”
Ssenyonyi even took it up a notch, suggesting that Among should step aside from dealing with the bill, claiming she might be biased. But Among wasn’t having any of it. “Sorry, but not sorry,” she replied. She pointed out that the rules about conflicts of interest apply to Members of Parliament, not to the Speaker.
“Rule 94 doesn’t cover me,” she said. “I don’t debate, and I definitely don’t vote. The only thing I do is give guidance, like a referee at a football match who doesn’t actually kick the ball.”
Among insisted that her words had been twisted like a pretzel. She then laid down a challenge: “If anyone thinks I said those things, bring the proof and put it on the table. If you can prove it, I’ll apologize to everyone, even the coffee farmers! But until then, there’s no apology coming from me.”
As the old proverb goes, “Empty drums make the loudest noise.” Among clearly believes the accusations are all sound and fury, with nothing to back them up. And with that, she’s sticking to her guns, ready to face the storm, coffee cup in hand.
