Bunyoro youth warned against sabotaging oil, gas activities

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Bunyoro youth have been warned against being used to disrupt ongoing oil development activities in the region.

Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) social affairs co-ordinator, Sam Mugisa's warning, comes three days after a group purported East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) project-affected persons (PAPs) from Kikuube and Hoima districts protested and demanded the immediate halt of the entire project.

The group of over 100 men and women carrying placards with messages stating “No to land grabs,” “No to eviction,” “No to environmental harm,” “No to EACOP,” “Stop EACOP,” and “Chinese financial institutions, should stop funding EACOP,” among others, claimed there were several violations of human rights and environmental degradation in process of implementing the project.

The PAPs demanded that the EACOP project be stopped immediately to allow sufficient time for their grievances to be understood and meaningfully addressed.

They also demand the protection of natural parks and biodiversity, stressing that all oil activities in national parks and protected areas should cease to preserve biodiversity for future generations.

The PAPs further demand an immediate stop to the alleged arrest and harassment of grassroots environmental and human rights defenders advocating for the rights of affected communities.

Barak Bakundane, one of the alleged PAPs, stated that the destruction of nature at this critical time—when the Albertine region and the country are transitioning into the production phase of oil and gas—should be condemned as criminal.

Innocent Tumwebaze, another alleged PAP, said although the Government acquired land for the project, people were not fairly compensated and urged the implementers to address the compensation issue first.

He added that the project has negatively impacted the environment by encroaching on and degrading wetlands, swamps, and water sources, and by cutting down trees for the pipeline's construction—without replacement.

He warned that the risk of oil spills and other environmental hazards poses a severe threat to ecosystems, endangering wildlife and communities who rely on the natural environment for their livelihoods.

Sarah Natukunda, another affected by the EACOP Project, said the compensation was inadequate. She stated that while the project may bring short-term economic benefits such as job creation and infrastructure development, these are often outweighed by the long-term environmental and social costs.

Unfounded claims

However, Mugisa who was in Hoima to represent PAU executive director Ernest Rubondo, at the launch of Bunyoro-CNOOC Amasaza Cup tournament on December 10, 2024, said the claims of the youth were unfounded.

He alleged that the action of the group was fueled by the enemies of the oil and gas developments in Uganda.

He challenged the leaders in Bunyoro region to engage the youth to understand the importance of developing Uganda’s oil and gas sector to avoid being compromised with little money to fight against the sector, which is expected to cause economic transformation of the country.

“Let me talk about the youth who are being used to fight against the oil and gas sector, I advise them that the time they use to demonstrate like what the youth of Kikuube did on Sunday, let them use that time to engage in activities that help them because we are seeing the fruits of oil and gas developments, good roads have been constructed, the airports is being constructed and other many things are coming, so we need to sensitize the youth to avoid being used and Brind folded by small money given to them by some groups from western countries who do not want African countries to develop, the youth are the big population so let leaders engage them before they cause trouble,” he said.

He noted that the project is being executed with environmental sustainability in mind which addresses the concerns raised by activists protesting its impact on the ecosystem.

The 1,443km crude oil export pipeline will transport Uganda’s crude oil from the Hoima district in Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga Port in Tanzania.

The implementations of EACOP projects are the Governments of Uganda and Tanzania (represented by Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) respectively), Total Energies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) under the company called EACOP LTD.

The pipeline route will traverse Uganda through Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo, Kyotera, and Rakai, before crossing the border into Tanzania between Masaka and Bukoba, continuing through Kahama, Singida, Kondoa, and ending in Tanga.