“Museveni has been speaking about democracy, but where is that democracy he speaks of if he can't tolerate those who criticise his government? What is happening in villages undermines the same democracy he talks about,” Ssenyonyi said.
The competition aims to encourage every Ugandan to confidently sing the National Anthem while promoting the use of Kiswahili and increasing appreciation of the East African Community anthem as Uganda advances regional integration.
Lukwago referred to Among as “a creature of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni” who was kidnapped from the opposition ranks in order to work as a procurement agent to politicians defecting to Museveni’s camp.
Ssenyonyi’s campaign kicked off in Bukomansimbi, Uganda’s top coffee-producing district, on November 19, 2024, where he rallied farmers to keep growing coffee.
Ssenyonyi demanded President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to verify his claims that the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) was giving seedlings only to opposition MPs and leaving out their NRM counterparts.
On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, parliament passed the Coffee Amendment Bill, which caused chaos in parliament after Francis Zaake (NUP) and Anthony Akol (FDC) exchanged blows over a chair.
The government of Uganda is well conversant that coffee is a critical part of the economy, and its importance is growing with over 1.8 million households growing coffee, which contributes nearly a third of the country's export earnings, paying for critical infrastructure like roads, hospitals, and schools.
The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will be carried on to the Bills Committee stage for clause-by-clause scrutiny after 159 members voted in its favor against 77 opposing members.