President Yoweri Museveni yesterday told his ministers that the Coffee deal signed between the government and Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited (UVCC) is good for the development of coffee and capable of expanding the economy as it will widen the coffee market in Europe and other western capitals.
According to sources that attended cabinet and couldn’t speak freely as they lack authority to do so, a combative Museveni said he was briefing his minister on the deal for the first time and therefore, he expected no minister to oppose it.
“I want you to know that this is a good deal as it will increase our coffee export to the European markets but also it will increase its consumption here locally to about 30%,” the source quoted the president.
In the same meeting, the president is said to have turned to Evelyn Anite, the State Minister for Finance in charge of Investment and Privatization accusing of usurping his powers and asking “Do you know the value of that factory to Uganda and who told you that the agreement has been recalled?”
The president is said to have warned Ms Anite further that he would crush her before she went on knees apologizing.
“I will crush you, I will crush you, I will crush you and your Monitor newspaper.”
The revelation about his brief to cabinet about the deal coincided with the ongoing meeting with Members of Parliament at Kololo this afternoon. A section of legislators across party inclinations are opposed to the deal and have since teamed up with lawyers in dragging the government to court over the deal.
The Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry on Monday, April 25 2022 commenced investigations into the controversial coffee deal signed between the Government and UVCC.
Chaired by Mr Mwine Mpaka, the committee interrogated officials from UVCC led by the company secretary, Moses Matovu where they unearthed several irregularities regarding the coffee deal.
During the meeting, MPs on the committee were dismayed to learn how the Italian investor, Enrica Pinetti, the director, UVCC reportedly mortgaged 25 acres of government land in Namanve given to them to secure a loan from a commercial bank in order to set up the coffee processing plant.
Ms Pinetti is also reported to have signed as a witness instead of a director during the signing of the agreement between her on behalf of UVCC and government.
