By Prossy Kisakye
Participants at Buganda Women’s conference have this afternoon booed the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja while reacting to the controversial coffee agreement between the government and Da Vinci Coffee Company.
The agreement signed on 10Th February by the finance minister, Matia Kasaija, and Italian Investor, Enrica Pinneti, on behalf of Uganda Vinci Coffee Company, gives exclusive powers to the company to buy all Uganda’s coffee and determine prices and enjoy a tax holiday of 10 years.
The agreement has since drawn sharp criticism from various stakeholders prompting Nabbanja to try and explain to Kabaka’s subjects why the government signed the deal with a foreign investor instead of a local one.
She took to the podium, explaining that the government needed a foreign investor with the capacity to add value to the product and offer a competitive price for Uganda’s coffee on the international market.
However, the conference participants did not allow her to finish her speech, as their booing became louder.
The master of ceremonies tried to calm the congregation in vain, forcing Nabbanja to abandon the topic.
Earlier, while opening the conference at the Kabaka’s palace at Lubiri Mengo, the Queen of Buganda, Lady Sylvia Nnaginda urged women to protect themselves and live healthy to realize full economic and social development.
The conference is running under the theme “A health woman, a foundation for economic growth’’
