Ugandan police arrested 18 protesters, including students and community members, as they marched towards the Energy Ministry in Kampala to voice their opposition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.
The protesters, who were part of a group advocating for environmental and social justice, aimed to deliver a petition to Minister Ruth Nankabirwa, highlighting their concerns about the project’s impact on their livelihoods and the environment.
The police deemed the assembly unlawful and arrested the protesters. “We are holding 18 people who had gathered or assembled unlawfully with intent to march to the ministry of energy,” said Luke Owoyesigyire, Kampala metropolitan deputy police spokesperson. “They are currently being held at the Central Police Station in Kampala on charges of holding unlawful assembly.”
The protesters’ concerns revolve around the project’s impact on their livelihoods. “We want to reach these people as a way of raising our concerns,” said Robert Pitua, a student and PAP. “Livelihood restoration programs were insufficient, and now we cannot manage to restore the initial livelihoods we had. Most people are given unfair compensation, which is inadequate. They are using the old valuation rate, and yet we are supposed to be using the current one.”
Another protester, Bob Barigye, shared a similar experience. “Some people were given Shs260, 000 as compensation for an acre of land, which payment is not clear since it was valued at an old rate. So we are here to express our concerns in a peaceful protest since we wrote letters and reports in vain.”
The protesters also highlighted the project’s environmental impact. “Currently, most of us in western Uganda are being disturbed,” said Stephen Okwai, another PAP. “You cannot know when the rain is going to start and when it will stop, yet most of these people are farmers. The effect of this oil project is greatly impacting the grassroots people.”
In response to these claims, John B Habumugisha, deputy managing director of EACOP Ltd, stated that the company has compensated most PAPs. “99 percent of PAPs have fully been compensated,” he said. “As of August 2024, a total of 9,831 out of 9,904 (99 percent) of PAPs in Tanzania and 3,549 out of 3,660 (97 percent) PAPs in Uganda have signed their compensation agreements.”
Habumugisha added that the company follows a strict process before accessing land. “Land is accessed by the project only after compensation has been paid and the notice to vacate is issued and lapsed,” he explained. “Eligible PAPs are entitled to transitional food support and have access to livelihood restoration programs.”
