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ABSA Building, Wandegeya (opposite Hajj Musa Kasule Mall), Kampala Uganda
Households in Hoima district, whose land was compulsorily taken for the oil refinery project but were not fairly and adequately compensated, have protested over the delay by the Judiciary to conclude their cases.
Some of the households filed cases in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal as far as 2014. Nine years later, many of the cases have not been heard while other cases have not been concluded.
The delay to get justice has left many of them in agony while others have had to endure financial hardships to make ends meet. Some like the women and elderly have further been pushed into poverty.
Holding placards, including women and the elderly, said they had been tossed up and down in their quest for justice.
“Court was supposed to hear our case on February 9 but when we arrived at the Hoima high court we were informed that our case file is still at the Masindi high court,” said innocent Tumwebaze, the chairperson of the Oil Refinery Residents Association (ORRA).
Margaret Nankya, one of the affected persons said the courts were failing poor women like her.
“If poor women’s land is taken and the women are not paid fair and adequate compensation, then women are condemned to poverty,” Nankya said.
John Tondulu, an opinion leader in Hoima said it seems “justice is not for the poor.”
Fair, timely and adequate compensation of people affected by the controversy riddled EACOP has remained a thorny issue.
As of May 2022, only 41% of the 3,648 Projected Affected Persons (PAP) had been compensated according to local officials overseeing EACOP.
Even then, some PAPs have contested the amount that was given to them as compensation.
There are 3,648 project affected persons-PAPs under the EACOP project in Uganda.
Many local organizations notably the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) and Global Rights Alert have been at the forefront of pushing for fair and timely compensation of PAPS but have encountered several challenges.
Dickens Kamugisha, the chief executive officer of AFIEGO said the affected households deserve a fair hearing.
“…The Ugandan government and its partners including TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) must walk the talk on respecting human rights. They tell financiers and other stakeholders that they are implementing their projects in the most sustainable and human rights compliant manner but this is far from the truth,” Kamugisha said.
The households resolved to storm the chief justice’s office in Kampala to have concerns addressed.
