The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government will not be distracted by the pressure from activists to halt the ongoing construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline – EACOP, the Energy and Mineral Development Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu has said.
Nankabirwa’s stance follows last week’s report released by GreenFaith, an international and multi-faith climate justice organization that accused French fossil fuel giant, TotalEnergies of disrespecting over 2,000 graves along the proposed 1,443-km-long underground oil pipeline.
Entitled “As If Nothing Is Sacred,” the report, pointed fingers at TotalEnergies for providing inadequate or no compensation to families and relatives with graves of their loved ones pending relocation and descent reburial away from the project area.
At the launch of the 19th Annual Energy and Minerals Week that commenced on Monday at the Akamwesi Shopping Mall in Kawempe Division, Dr. Nankabirwa noted that the Uganda-Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline – UTCOP has suffered blackmail since its inception in 2013.
The Minister emphasized the pressure and blackmail from activists will not distract the government and that the project funders, adding that 40 percent of the total USD 3.04 billion, approximately 11.449 trillion has already been secured to deliver the long-awaited pipeline.
In the “As If Nothing Is Sacred” report, the affected families argued that they have suffered emotional and spiritual trauma due to the actions of the project developers. Consequently, the Uganda and Tanzania clerics in a joint report called for an immediate halt to the project until the issues are resolved.
According to Nankabirwa, Uganda’s hope to produce the first oil is on course and drilling has commenced at Kingfisher, the first commercial oil field in Kikuube, and Tilenga in Buliisa Districts. The Kingfisher and Tilenga oil fields are anticipated to produce 40,000 and 190,000 barrels of oil every day respectively.
The Minister also revealed that the government has procured the services of a new developer for the oil refiner who has commenced work on the ground. In spite of the delays, Dr Nankabirwa noted that Uganda’s first oil will be out latest in 2026.
But GreenFaith conducted an extensive review of information published by TotalEnergies about the EACOP and Tilenga projects and their impacts in three districts in Tanzania and six districts in Uganda, conducting interviews with members of affected families who own graves along the route of either the EACOP or the Tilenga project.
“TotalEnergies has, on numerous occasions, disturbed or disrespected the graves of their families and ancestors. This has taken place despite countless efforts by local people to alert TotalEnergies to the presence of the graves and about their concerns,” the report states.
Adding that, “The company has disregarded or violated international standards for reburial of human remains. They did not follow international best practices related to identifying grave sites, developing plans to relocate affected graves, providing compensation for impacted families, and respecting the spiritual and religious needs of affected family and community members.”
Attempts to get a response from TotalEnergies have been futile as they never responded to repeated calls from this reporter. However, the report calls on TotalEnergies to reimburse the local communities where financial losses have been incurred; and respectfully relocate the graves in question.
The crude oil project which is worth 13.248 trillion Shillings (USD 3.6 million) traverses 171 villages across 10 districts of Kabaale, Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Ggomba, Ssembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera.
Earlier in February, a section of religious leaders from Hoima wrote to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to intervene against ills of the oil project such as inadequate compensation, oil spills to the environment, and flooding inflicted against residents in the Bunyoro sub-region by the ongoing EACOP project works.
On September 15, 2022, the European Parliament passed an “emergency resolution” by a large majority denouncing the consequences of Uganda’s oil projects, specifically Tilenga and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Two months later on November 2, 2022, a Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the African, Caribbean, Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) sitting in Maputo, Mozambique overturned the resolution.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline Company Limited has a shareholding of 62 percent from Total Energies while 15 percent will come from the host Government of Uganda through the National Oil Company. Equally, the Government of Tanzania owns 15 percent shares through the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation – TPDC, and 8 percent shares for China National Offshore Oil Company – CNOOC Uganda Ltd.
****
URN
