Reports from environmental activists and denials from the government and Oil companies puzzle Ugandans and the international community on who to believe.
The aggrieved include 21 households that will be physically displaced as the government and partners undertake constructions of a 30-meter wide pipeline to transport Uganda’s crude oil from Hoima to the Chongoleani peninsular in Tanga, Tanzania. The project will affect 760 people in the districts of Rakai and Kyotera.
Diana Nabiruma, the Communication Officers at the Africa Institute for Energy Governance-AFIEGO, indicates that besides anonymous persons cautioning them against engaging project affected persons and documenting their concerns, they have lately started registering cases of suspicious people trying to disrupt their community meetings.
The 1,443 kilometres oil export pipeline will transport crude oil from Uganda’s oil fields in Hoima to Tanga refinery in Tanzania, running through 10 districts in Uganda. However, hundreds of People in the areas earmarked for the pipeline are required to vacate their properties upon compensation to pave way for the construction.
