The Office of the speaker of the 11th Parliament headed by Jacob Oulanyah on Thursday rejected a plea by the Leader of Opposition, to convene an urgent parliamentary session, aimed at discussing the current fuel crisis.
LOP Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba had pressed for the convening of an urgent legislative meeting, to discuss and address the current fuel crisis in the country.
This website accessed a document dated January 19th, 2022, from the office of Leader of Opposition, a copy of which was served to the Speaker, imploring him to convene an emergency plenary sitting, majorly to see how to tackle the fuel stalement that is raising alarm among the populace.
It was also noted in the letter that there is a public discontent accross the country, which calls for a need to convene legislators, such that they share experiences in their constituencies, regarding ways to salvage the situation.
“…..there is a public outcry across the country that demands the people’s representatives are recalled from recess to share their constituency experiences, offer leadership, engage government and contribute to solving the crisis,” reads the letter.
In response, the office of the speaker through a document served to the office of the Leader of Opposition noted that although the fuel stampede is a matter of urgency, it is not indispensable to hold such a meeting.
“During the first sitting that the Rt Hon. Jacob Oulanyah chaired as Speaker of the 11th Parliament, he, among others, set his leadership’s agenda as a people -centric Parliament focused on national interests and socio-economic transformation of Ugandans,” reads the response.
“Hiked fuel prices are, therefore, a matter of serious concern to the Rt Hon. Speaker and the entire Parliament across all political shades, as the prices negatively impact the economy, hinder business growth and thriving of livelihoods.”
It was also raised that the speaker is aware of the ongoing fuel crisis, and is not taking the matter lightly. According to the response, he would therefore address the pertinent matter on fuel, through offering practical guidance, and engaging several stakeholders to ensure that fuel prices are stablized.
It was mantained that parliament had to resume business, basing on the scheduled date, an indicator that the request by Leader of Opposition was dishonoured.
“As you are aware, the Clerk to Parliament had issued notice for resumption of Plenary on 27th of January, 2022 which is Thursday next week. Office of the Speaker has received the Hon. Leader of Opposition’s letter and the Speaker will, as always, offer guidance,” reads the response.
Several experts have warned of a major shut down, if the situation is not salvaged in a short order. Oil prices have skyrocketed in the past weeks, with some fuel stations like Stabex in Hoima city charging as high as Shs.12,000 for a litre of petrol.
The situation seems to be no where near to stabilize, due to the fact that even the county’s oil reserves are dry, with no single drop of fuel.
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