No funds for Kutubu review, says Duma

 PETROLEUM and Energy Minister William Duma has revealed that any review of the Gobe, Kutubu and Moran petroleum projects will have to wait until the government finds the money.

Speaking in response to queries from Kagua Erave MP James Lagea last week in Parlament, Duma said his department would facilitate the review when funds were available as his request for funds had not been entertained.

Lagea said the Gobe oil fields, in his Kagua Erave district in Sothern Highlands, had been in operation for the past 20 years.

He said since then no review had taken place to address major outstanding issues like the Southern Highlands provincial government not receiving any benefit since the start of the project.

He said it was only the landowners and the national Government that become signatories to the project and received benefits, while the host province continued to miss out.

He said the Government should not give excuses that there was no money but try to get the review done immediately to take into consideration the needs of the people, the provincial government and the state. 

Similar concerns have been raised by landowners of mining projects like Porgera.