Bunyoro Culture Minister Hajji Bruhani Kyokuhaire said that a number of sites are threatened, yet there is no deliberate effort to guarantee their protection in the rush for oil.
The funding will go to 120 pupils and students from the two districts selected by the offices of the District Education Officers based on the Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB results released early this year.
Chinese Oil Company CNOOC has said that getting a license four years before production commences will enable it prepare adequately for the production phase.
Government and the oil companies in the country have made substantial progress in discussions expected to end in the signing of agreements ahead of anticipated oil production, according to Tullow Oil Chief Executive Officer Aidan Heavey. Kabagambe Kaliisa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, recently said that government was in discussions with the oil companies on the proposed Field Development Plans for Mputa, Nzizi and the Kingfisher fields before issuance of production licences.
The General Manager of Tullow Uganda, one of the four oil companies operating in the country, has dismissed the hype about building an oil refinery in Uganda saying the plan is not viable. This shows that while the Ugandan government and the oil companies operating in the country may have signed binding agreements signifying unison in plans to develop and produce the resource, disagreements still exist.
The Uganda government has given petroleum companies a go-ahead to drill oil from the Murchison Falls–Albert Delta, an internationally recognized wetland protected site. The delta is also listed as a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Treaty and provides vital habitat for different bird species and other threatened plants and animals.
Increased cases of land wrangles and threats of evictions have been reported in the oil-rich areas of Ntoroko district. A Chinese company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation—CNOOC—is carrying out oil exploration activities in Kanywataba, Kanara Sub County in Ntoroko district.
