MPs to be fair on land Bill

Feb 06, 2008

CHAIRPERSONS of parliamentary committees scrutinising the Land amendment Bill have promised to handle the matter without bias.

By Mary Karugaba

CHAIRPERSONS of parliamentary committees scrutinising the Land amendment Bill have promised to handle the matter without bias.

Peter Nyombi and Nathan Byanyima, who chair the legal affairs and the physical infrastructure committees respectively, are heading more than 40 MPs involved in the exercise.

“We are going to come out with a final product, which is not weathered down by political influence,” Nyombi told The New Vision yesterday.

“Personally, I want a law that is acceptable to everybody. It is not about politics but coming out with a law that meets everyone’s interests and expectations.”

The Government on Tuesday tabled the Bill for the first reading in Parliament amidst protests from some MPs and sections of the public.

The Speaker, Edward Ssekandi, asked the two committees to study the Bill, carry out wide consultations, including public hearings at venues published in the media, before reporting to Parliament.

According to parliamentary rules of procedure, after the minister tables the Bill for the first reading, the Speaker of Parliament refers it to the appropriate committee for scrutiny.

After scrutiny, the committee is required to write a report to be presented to the House for further debate and voting is within 45 days. However, in this case, the chairpersons said the consultations may take more than 45 days.

Byanyima noted: “It will be a transparent process. We promise that no stone will be left unturned. Land is wealth. Why should the Government take anyone’s land?”
He said land experts, lawyers and regional representatives would be co-opted in the debates.

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