Civil society activists have piled pressure on the government to make public all agreements it has entered with companies prospecting in oil that has been discovered in the Albertine region in western Uganda.

Two journalists at Monitor Publications are already in court asking the government to disclose the agreements it signed with the foreign companies - Heritage and Tullow.

During an awareness workshop on production sharing agreements and oil monitoring in Kampala on Wednesday, activists from Transparency International, Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) and Norway-based Publish What You Pay (PWYP) said citizens have a right to know about their resources.

Mr Robert Lugolobi, of Transparency International, said knowing the contents of the agreements would help citizens manage expectations.

"The companies involved in the exploitation are very much willing to publish these agreements, why should the government hide them? Unless there is something sinister in them," he told Daily Monitor after the workshop.

Fr. Sylvester Arinaitwe, the UJCC executive director, said oil should be a blessing and not a cause of conflict as it has been in other countries.

PWYP that brings together 300 Civil Society Organisations in 70 countries is pushing Uganda to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative which would require the country to ensure free access to information.

Not right

Ms Mona Thowsen, the national coordinator of PWYP Norway, said: "If you put this (production sharing agreements) into law, accountability in the mining sector will be smooth. Right now foreign firms have powers over the Constitution. This is not right."

The developments come after Sunday Monitor revealed information showing that oil companies stand to take the lion's share once the production starts.