Ugandan Oil Project-Affected Residents’ Demands for Fair Compensation Foiled by Police

In a bid to express their grievances over unfair compensation, over 300 oil project-affected persons (PAPs) gathered at Kitara Secondary School in Hoima, Uganda, on Monday morning. However, their planned demonstration was thwarted by police, who arrived at the scene just 30 minutes before the scheduled 10 a.m. march.

The group, consisting of residents from Buliisa, Kikuube, and Hoima districts, had intended to march to the offices of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) to present their petition over delayed compensation. Some of the affected individuals claimed their properties had been undervalued, and they had not been adequately heard by the oil companies since 2013.

Gerald Opio, representing the affected persons, voiced their concerns, stating that they had made numerous appeals to their leaders and even sought court intervention regarding the unfair compensation and undervaluation of their properties. However, they had received no response, and the oil companies continued to threaten eviction without addressing their concerns.

In response to the group’s grievances, Hoima City Resident Commissioner Badru Mugabi advised that with an ongoing court process, the issue must be addressed at a higher court level. He emphasized that street demonstrations would not resolve their grievances and warned that some members of the group were being exploited by civil society organizations using the situation for their own gain.

Amlan Tumusime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner, accepted that the affected persons deserved to be heard, acknowledging that it didn’t make sense for the country to prioritize oil while the people in the areas were unhappy. He suggested that a group of five representatives deliver the petition while the rest of the group returned to their villages.

Despite the police intervention, a team of six, escorted by Hoima City RCC Badru Mugabi, delivered the petition to the EACOP and PAU offices. Following the delivery, the 300-plus individuals boarded their buses and returned to their respective districts.

The affected persons’ demands for fair compensation and a resolution to their grievances remain unresolved, leaving them frustrated and uncertain about their future.