Oil debate adjourned again

Parliament has once again failed to vote on proposed oil bill, as consensus between the ruling NRM and the opposition remains elusive.

Energy minister Irene Muloni and third Deputy Prime Minister Moses Ali moved to have the vote on the Petroleum Exploration, Development and Production Bill, saying consensus had been reached at with the opposition.

Members of the opposition led by the shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu however opposed the move.

Katuntu tabled a document which he says shows issues on which the opposition has agreed with the government.

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has once again adjourned the debate to allow cabinet and the committee on natural resources time to discuss the document tabled by the opposition.

Though there was a bit of heckling during the sitting today, the MPs were a lot calmer than last week, when the Speaker fled the house as chaos intensified.

The MPs are sharply divided on the provisions of Clause 9 of the bill, which gives the sector ministers unlimited powers, which include issuing and revoking of licenses of oil companies.

Written by