Writes Leo Odera Omolo.
The Uganda government has envisaged the plan for screening and vetting all foreigners seeking for jobs oil exploration and prospecting companies operating I the country.
The Daily Monitor has reported that the plans to have the expatriate workers vetted were disclosed to the member of Parliamentary Ad-Hoc committee investigating the oil sector.
The revelation was made by the Commissioner for Petroleum Exploration and Production in the Ministry of Energy, Mr Ernest Rubondo whose department is tasked with the responsibility on the running and management of the oil sector.
He stated that the aim was to ensure that Ugandans do not lose out on jobs to the expatriates. Rubondo was responding to the member of the committee who had questioned the government commitment to ensuring that Ugandans and local fully benefited from the oil sector.
“If a company does not find suitably qualified Ugandan, it will be allowed to have an expatriate to fill the job. But the firm will be compelled to employ a Ugandan on the same job to understudy the foreigner and gain the necessary experience and eventually take over from the expatriate so that more foreigners do not come here,”he said.
Rubondo, however, told the committee members that the biggest challenge for Ugandan companies was lack of capacity to provide goods and services due to lack of funds to enable them compete effectively with foreign firms.
Rubondo further stated,” I believe the companies we have here are improving.”There are 77 wells so far. But all the wells pads were constructed by local firms “There is also a consultancy firm we hired to design a strategy plan on how best to achieve local contents.”
The MPs have been complaining about the lack of local employment in the oil sector, arguing that most of the foreign employees earn higher salaries than the Ugandans on the same job specification.
But Tullouw Oil Company’s president and the chairperson of the Uganda Chamber of Mines and petroleum Mr Elly Karuhanga commented, “This has been the practice because the government has an agreement with foreign firms of hiring specific foreigners with specific expertise.
Karuhanga added,”it is good that the Ugandan are employed to understudy the foreigners, “There are many foreigners whose applications for work permits are still pending.’
He disclosed that Tullouw Oil Company has employed between 15 and 20 per cent foreigners out of it workforce of about 200. Some oil companies are too technical and they are always under pressure to fulfill the immigration requirement to complete heir jobs.
Ends