UNOC wants 81Bnshs in the next year’s budget

By Francis Lubega

20^th April 2021

Uganda National Oil Company-UNOC is seeking for 81billion shillings for budget support in the next financial year 2021/2022.

Appearing before the parliamentary Financial Committee, the UNOC Executive Director Proscovia Nabbanja said their next financial year falls short of 81bnshs and only 48bnshs has been provided out of the requested 129billion shillings.

She said some of the most unfunded priorities include; ICT, field operations and support services and others.

They also demanded money for capitalization of UNOC but the Minister of Finance Matia Kasaijja said that government has no budget line for such demands.

This comes when the opposition Democratic Party-DP has announced a campaign to task Government to urgently compensate land owners in the 10 districts where the East African Crude Oil Pipeline will pass.

The 10 districts include Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Kyotera, Mubende, Rakai, Lwengo, Ssembabule and Gomba.

Norbert Mao, the DP President General revealed to the press in Kampala that they are to engage party leadership at the branch level together with their legal experts next week for advise because the move to amend Article 26 of the Constitution is intended to give rights to government to take land without first compensating the owners.

According to Mao, this move was rejected and if government doesn’t have money to compensate Ugandans, Total E and P and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) should compensate the project affected citizens.