Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has appealed to the government to consider reducing taxes on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a safer alternative to traditional fossil fuels such as charcoal that she says have proven disastrous to the environment.
Recent reports reveal a concerning trend of significant forest cover loss due to widespread charcoal burning, posing a severe threat to our environment and biodiversity.
In her communication during the plenary sitting of Thursday, November 30, 2023, Ms Among noted that the continued over reliance on wood and charcoal for cooking is a very big environmental disaster, which, she said, must be confronted.
“As part of our continuous effort to conserve the environment and as we embark on the budgeting process for the coming financial year, I urge the Executive to consider tax incentives to reduce the cost of cooking gas and support energy efficient cooking systems so as to mitigate the loss of trees to charcoal burning,” she said.
Ms Among’s guidance aligns with global efforts to transition towards safer energy sources aimed at preserving and safeguarding the environment.
Environmentalists also emphasise the importance of adopting cleaner energy alternatives such as making gas more affordable, which will persuade households and businesses to switch from more polluting energy sources.
This comes in the wake of alarming climate change reports across the country, marred by prolonged droughts.
“I reiterated my call to you leaders to champion environmental conservation through interventions such as tree planting to mitigate the adversity of climate change,” Ms Among said.
Speaker Among guided that Parliament should utilize the forthcoming budgeting season to consider incentives that would render gas more affordable.
“As we embark on the budgeting process, we have said no cutting trees, no burning charcoal; I want to ask the Executive to consider reducing the cost of gas. In the new budget, we should have incentives for gas,” she said.
She urged legislators to take on role modeling for environmental conservation by actively participating in the tree-planting campaign.
“I want to hear that, for example, Hon. Macho has a forest, Mushemeza has planted trees, people should learn from us as leaders of this country,” Among said.
Legislators complained about the high costs of electricity, which they said should be the alternative source of cooking energy.
“Government should be deliberate in reducing the prices of electricity, we have done electrification, if there is a deliberate effort to reduce the cost, then people can use it for cooking,” said Hon. Solomon Silwany (NRM, Bukooli Central County).
Kagoma County MP, Moses Walyomu said the cost charged for connecting households to the power lines is high for ordinary Ugandans.
“How can you charge connection fees at Shs700,000 when some people cannot earn that amount in a year?” asked Walyomu.
Speaker asked the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Development to update Parliament on the rural electrification programme, saying many communities are not yet connected even though the country has generated large volumes of electricity.
“I have seen some electricity poles that were erected for over twenty years. People have resorted to using them as firewood. It would be prudent that the ministry comes here to update this House on when they intend to make the connections happen,” she said.
“Whereas there was a pronouncement by the government on cutting trees and charcoal burning, we are not ready to comply. The government should instead reduce tax on gas because the price is high,” said Hon. Geoffrey Macho (Ind., Busia Municipality) during the plenary sitting chaired by Speaker on Thursday 30 November 2023.
Macho explained that the price of 10 kilograms of Stabex gas in Kenya is Shs30,000, yet the same is sold at Shs80,000. He wondered how Ugandans who cannot afford such a price are expected to adhere to the ban on charcoal burning or deforestation.
Macho asked the government to come up with incentives, such as the provision of gas to poor communities as a means of conserving the environment.
Reacting to her communication, Kitgum District Woman MP Lillian Aber noted that lowering taxes on gas would not only ease the financial burden on consumers but also aid a shift from charcoal which has become a major issue in Acholi Sub-region, to more sustainable energy options.
“Lowering prices of gas emerges as one of the practical and effective strategies for government to champion environmental conservation. This will reduce charcoal burning that has decimated forest cover,” she said.
