Bujagali managers chased out of Parliament Ad hoc committee

PARLIAMENT | BUJAGALI | ENERGY 

KAMPALA - A team of Bujagali Energy Limited mangers led by their General Manager Alaister McDougall has today (Thursday) been chased away from the Parliament Ad hoc committee investigating the company for lacking the required information. 

A visibly disappointed committee chairman Dickson Kateshumbwa said, “It is surprising that you could come to appear before a Parliament Committee when you are not prepared.” 

Kateshumbwa said he had resolved to dismiss the team and asked them to go back and prepare all the required information and reappear before the committee after two weeks. (All Photos by Miriam Namutebi)

Kateshumbwa said he had resolved to dismiss the team and asked them to go back and prepare all the required information and reappear before the committee after two weeks. 

“Parliament halted extending the exemption of Bujagali Energy Ltd from taxes for another five years pending the outcome of the investigation we are carrying out. Parliament is concerned that with all the investments and tax exemptions, power tariffs are still very high. Ugandans have been paying heavily.” 

The Bujagali managers failed to give satisfying explanations on how the company that was incorporated in August 2005 had won a contract in 2004. 

The Bujagali managers failed to give satisfying explanations on how the company that was incorporated in August 2005 had won a contract in 2004. 

The company managers confirmed information earlier submitted by the Ministry of Finance that the company was registered in August 2005 and yet it had participated in the bidding process for the contract in January 2004 before its incorporation. 

The Chief Finance Officer of Bujagali Energy Ltd Josephine Osiya explained that since the Bujagali project involved many companies, they created a special purpose vehicle through which they participated in the bidding process before Bujagali Energy Ltd was created. 

Members of Parliament on the Ad hoc Committee on Bujagali at Parliament.

Asked by the committee chairman Dickson Kateshumbwa on how Bujagali Energy Ltd got the contract when at the time of bidding it was not in existence, Osiya said, “I am not able to answer that question now.” 

The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among recently created the Ad hoc committee to investigate Bujagali Energy Ltd especially on why despite the government investments and tax waivers over extended to it over the years, the power tariffs have remained high.