National Economy Parliamentary Committee Chairperson, MP Nsereko clash over Oil Production agreements

By Francis Lubega

1^st Dec 2021

There has been a bitter exchange between the Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammad Nsereko and the Chairperson of the parliamentary committee on National Economy Dr. Keefa Kiwanuka over the oil production agreement to aid the processing of the Public Finance Management amendment bill 2021 that clears Uganda to start the production of oil.

The Bill aims at operationalizing the oil production agreements which gives the Uganda National Oil Company- UNOC a lot of powers in oil production which the MPs have objected to.

Dr. Kiwanuka’s view was that the committee members should continue with the bill until they are privy to the agreements which created the bitter exchange between the committee chairperson and MP Nsereko.

This argument forced Dr. Kiwanuka who is also the Kiboga East MP to make several phone calls to the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka who later came to the committee to settle the matter.

Upon arrival, the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka told the committee that the agreements they are demanding for is with the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah and advised the MPs to find a way of accessing them, to which the committee chairperson supported.

However, the Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi interjected and advised for adjournment of the proceedings saying the bill they are processing could blindly bind the country.

After the meeting adjournment, the MPs agreed to go to the library to ascertain the availability of the agreement, but Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko noted that what is in library is the crude oil pipeline but not the oil production sharing agreements.

The committee chairperson Dr Keefa Kiwanuka noted that the committee will resume tomorrow after sharing the agreements that are in parliament library.