Parliament has approved a contentious clause 26 under the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) bill 2014 giving powers of signing PPP agreements to cabinet. This happened amid protests from the opposition saying that this is another way of mortgaging the country. The cabinet will now negotiate Public Private Partnerships businesses without involving parliament.

The President rejected the Public Private Partnerships bill 2014 twice on the ground that debating possible public private partnerships in Parliament may deter foreign investments in the country. The bill was passed after the committee of finance chaired by Robert Ssebunya reviewed the earlier position on clause 26 which provides that an accounting officer shall not sign, amend or vary a public private partnership agreement without the approval of Parliament.

The finance committee, after the president returned this bill for the second time, recommended to parliament the clause as wanted by the president and passed it. The opposition later walked out on the basis that the bill passing required two and half members yet it was passed by only 118 and 27 opposed it. Member of Parliament for Budadili west Nathan Nandala Mafabi said that if the NRM MPs wanted to pass the PPP as by the instructions of the president they should have been with 250 MPs in support of the clause.

The bill is expected to finally be passed today.