The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kikuube, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | People affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Kikuube district have tasked members of the opposition in Parliament to compel the government and oil companies to immediately compensate them for their land which was taken to facilitate the smooth running of the project.
The 1,443km crude oil export pipeline will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania. It is envisaged to be the longest electrically heated pipeline in the world and will cross through 10 districts in Uganda, a distance of 296 kilometres and 25 districts in Tanzania, covering eight regions.
According to the agreed plan, the pipeline route will begin from Hoima through Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo, Kyotera, and Rakai and cross the Tanzania border between Masaka and Bukoba. It will then traverse Tanzania through Kahama, Singida, and Kondoa, into Tanga.
The land acquisition program for the said project was rolled out in August 2018 and the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) promised to start compensation in December 2020 or early January 2021. However, to date, the project-affected persons have not received compensation, even though they were stopped from using their land.
Those in Kikuube are now regretting why they offered their land to the government for the project. Kikuube district alone has 390 EACOP project-affected persons. Rev. Fred Musimenta, one of the EACOP PAPs in Kikuube says most of them have lost hope in the government and the oil companies for not respecting the agreement they signed with them.
80-year-old Norah Kakenge, another affected resident wonders why the compensation has been delayed and fears that she might die before receiving her package.
Charles Twesigye, another PAP says that the only option left for them is to task the opposition in Parliament to compel the government to compensate then, since all other avenues have failed. They were meeting opposition Members of parliament who are on a working visit in the Bunyoro sub-region.
Kikuube LCV Vice Chairperson Vincent Alpha Opio says the delayed compensation has compelled many people to lose trust in the government and the oil companies.
Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of the Opposition in parliament faulted the government for not availing the project-affected persons with timely information about the progress of the project and the compensation.
Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner-RDC admits that there are still many people with complaints about the compensation processes, but adds that they are engaging the oil companies to expedite the compensation.
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