Some Opposition MPs Regret Boycotting Plenary Session as "Petroleum Supply Bill 2023" is Passed in Their Absence.

Some Opposition MPs have expressed regret over boycotting plenary sitting, saying their absence saw Parliament pass the Petroleum Supply Amendment Bill, which gave monopoly to Uganda National Oil Company to import fuel products in Uganda, which could increase the cost of fuel in Uganda.

Leading the regrets was Charles Tebandeke (Bbale County) who compared the  Petroleum Supply Bill 2023 to cancer, syphilis and gonorrhea, warning that the new legislation is not only going to affect incomes of Ugandans, but also rob them of their economic rights under the new monopoly.

📸: Hon Charles Tebandeke, Bbale County MP.

"As the Opposition, I am one of those regretting why I didn’t attend plenary because even if it meant sitting on top of the table and even break all the microphones inside the chambers. If our brains had failed us that day, at least we could have used the energy drawn from the food we eat to see to it that this bill doesn’t pass," said Tebandeke.

He added, "But because we had made our stand not to attend plenary in writing and because we had thought our colleagues were capable of reading the details in our minority report, and that they would understand and pass this law on behalf of Ugandans. But we regret that the law was passed to suit their interests and greed where they will benefit at the expense of the incomes of other Ugandans."

Charles Tebandeke (Bbale County) also revealed that some aggrieved MPs on the Natural Resources Committee are analyzing the conduct of their Committee Chairperson, with the option of censuring him based on the way he oversaw the process of scrutinized the Petroleum Supply Bill 2023

"We are still analyzing and holding talks with our colleagues and if there is any chance, the Chairperson (Emmanuel Otaala-West Budama South) we want to censure him because those powers are given to the Committee. We want to ask President Museveni for the first time, to return this bill to Parliament or even throw it in the bin for the good of other Ugandans," Tebandeke.

📸: Hon Asinasi Nyakato.

Asinasi Nyakato (Hoima City) said that as the Opposition, they rejected that animal called monopoly, because it is a very bad animal that has come through the UNOC fuel deal, saying its disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

"This Petroleum Supply Bill was so silent about pone company Vitol Bahrain, which will be importing to UNOC and in the same deal encouraged that Government should facilitate UNOC. We were informed by UNOC that they also registered UNOC in Kenya which is privately owned as parliament, we aren’t in the know of who the stakeholders are. We are so worried that this UNOC of Kenya’s interest may out compete the interests in Uganda," Nyakato.

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