Twist in Sugar Bill as parliament clerk "flees" with minority report
The passing of the Sugar Bill 2016 might not happen anytime soon after news emerged that a senior parliamentary clerk (name withheld), had allegedly fled with a minority report hours before MPs were scheduled to meet President Museveni on the matter.
Last year, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga directed the trade committee chaired by Fort Portal Municipality MP, Alex Ruhunda to embark on a national wide consultations of stake holders on the proposed bill.
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During the national wide consultations, the stake holders mainly the out growers contested on the proposed policy of zoning demanding for a free sugarcane growing policy which created protests from the main sugar; Kakira Sugar and Kinyara.
In their submissions, Kakira and Kinyara told the committee that the new sugarcane companies have affected their production of sugar as they no longer receive the adequate supply of sugarcane.
After finalising the consultations, the committee members sat and came up with recommendations with majority of MP in favour of relaxing the zoning policy by the big actors a report which has been frozen.
Reliable information from some MPs who requested anonymity disclosed that the clerk refused to download the minority report on members IPADS for scrutiny.
