Buganda Leaders Rally behind Coffee Farmers as Parliament Dismisses AI-Altered Video of Speaker Among

The National Coffee Amendment Bill 2024 has stirred up intense debate and passionate opposition, especially among Buganda MPs and leaders. Buganda Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, voiced strong concerns over the proposed bill, which some claim is designed to penalize Buganda—a region contributing nearly half of Uganda’s coffee exports. 

https://twitter.com/cpmayiga/status/1849736167207448613

Social media escalated tensions when a video surfaced, allegedly showing Speaker Anita Among taking a stance perceived as unfavorable toward Buganda’s coffee-growing community. However, Parliament, through its Director of Communication, Chris Obore, dismissed the video as an AI-manipulated attempt to distort Speaker Among’s statements and fuel tribal divisions. 
As tensions rise, Buganda’s leadership remains united in encouraging farmers to continue coffee production, emphasizing that their livelihoods should not be jeopardized by political motives or misinformation.
Although the bill was intended to penalize Buganda, Prime Minister Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga urged the king's followers to continue cultivating coffee.
The Kingdom of Buganda has repeatedly cautioned against ending UCDA because it undermines the production of coffee, which is essential to around 2 million households in Uganda.

Since Speaker Anita Among (and others who support eliminating UCDA) view the Amendment Bill as a win against Baganda, it appears that doing away with UCDA is a punishment against Baganda, which accounts for almost 50% of coffee exports! The Emmwanyi Terimba Initiative will continue without interruption. 
"I implore Baganda (and other Ugandans) to keep cultivating coffee because your livelihood is more significant than the political agendas of today. " he said.

However, in processing the coffee bill, the institution attempted to defend the speaker through Chris Obore, the head of communication and public relations at Parliament, who dismissed the video as an artificial intelligence failure and spoke against tribal rhetoric.

“Some individuals are trying to finish her statements with their own prejudices, and the video does not fully convey what she stated.” Obore stated.

‘This description is dismissed as a pathetic attempt to use artificial intelligence for political ends. The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has been accused by some honorable members of parliament of being "poison served by government to the people of Buganda." 

The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 should not be interpreted as targeting a particular location, 

The Speaker advised Hon. Members, citing other areas such as Bugisu where coffee is the primary cash crop.She gave the Government Chief Whip instructions to avoid letting tribal feelings cloud the Bill's overall purpose. The Speaker met and conferred with the Buganda Parliamentary Caucus on the Bill an hour prior to the meeting because she has a purposeful and respectful connection with the country's citizens and leadership.