Uganda builds up its own hurdles

By BARRY MORGAN London

 29 November 2012 23:59 GMT

UGANDA’S parliament descended into chaos this week as legislators fought over whether to allow ministerial override powers to grant or revoke upstream agreements and other controversial clauses in the Petroleum Exploration, Development & Production Bill.

This follows the failure of the Refining, Gas Conversion, Transportation & Storage Bill to pass through parliament a couple of months ago after spending about two years in the making.

Local reports suggest President Yoweri Museveni personally telephoned several members of parliament, irrespective of whether they were from his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to elicit support for the clause, sowing doubt that such matters could be left to an untested Petroleum Authority that could be introduced under the new legislation.

Even his former legal advisor Fox Odoi, now an independent legislator, hit…

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