A number of mainly opposition Members of Parliament protested the Bill arguing that the process in passing the Bill was not procedural.
Opposition MPs reject the Oil Pipeline Bill
There was a furor in the August house when Parliament recently approved the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) (Special Provisions) Bill 2021.
The protesting MPs who sit on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of parliament decided to author a minority report to highlight their differences of opinion with regard to the Bill.
In the minority report presented to parliament by Kiboga Woman MP Kaaya Christine Nakimwero (NUP) on behalf of Asinansi Nyakato (FDC), the shadow minister of Energy and Minerals, the opposition MPs argued the Bill was not subjected to due diligence.
"The Committee did not put this highly technical Bill to the standard of scrutiny required. The rules of procedure of parliament demand that the committee examines the Bill in detail and make all such inquiries in relation to it. Surprisingly, the EACOP Bill was a rushed through process that lacked the minimum tenets of scrutiny,” Opposition MPs noted in their minority report.
Incidentally, the Bill is supported by the NRM MPs and so this polarized situation might become even more political as the Bill becomes law.
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