Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development warned that government has no other option but to forcefully take over the land should the PAPs reject the compensation money.
The
government has issued a one-month ultimatum to Project Affected Persons-PAPs
under the Tilenga project to receive compensation or forcefully lose their
land.
Up to 623 people in Kasenyi village were affected when the government acquired 320 hectares of land in Kasenyi village in Ngwedu sub-county to pave the way for
the construction of the Tilenga central processing facility-CPF. The facility will be used to process crude oil
produced from Buliisa and Nwoya districts to extract water, gas, and other
impurities, before being piped to the refinery in Kabaale, Hoima District.
In addition to the CPF that will process 190,000 barrels of oil and 700,000
barrels of total liquid per day, the Tilenga project needs land for 426 well
pads; 160 kilometers of flow lines which will transport crude oil and water
from the wells to the CPF among others.
However, some of the PAPs have up to date rejected compensation from the
government protesting the low compensation rate for their land and other
properties.
Some of the
PAPs have been compelled to drag the government to court. The PAPs also
resisted government attempts to settle them in areas with worse or no social
services.
Some of the
PAPs were offered between 3.5 and 5 million Shillings per acre of land in 2017
while others demanded between 10 to 20 million Shillings per acre of
land.
Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development issued the one-month
ultimatum on Monday while officiating at the handover ceremony of 105 houses
constructed for some of the PAPs at Kirama village in Kigwera Sub County, Buliisa
District.
She warned that government has no other option but to forcefully take over
the land should the PAPs reject the compensation money.
According to Nankabirwa, the government will not tolerate any delays in the
progress of the oil and gas sector beyond July 31, cautioning all PAPs who have
rejected compensation money due to various factors to cooperate with the
government and accept to be compensated as per the compensation rate adopted by
the chief government valuer.
She says beyond July 31, the government will forcefully access and establish oil-related projects on all the pieces of land acquired for oil developments in
Buliisa and the entire Bunyoro sub-region. She says government will deposit the
money for the PAPs who have rejected the compensation with courts of law and take
over the land forcefully.
Nankabirwa
said the PAPs can drag the government to court but it will not allow any
frustration in the oil and gas developments.
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She said that
for the case of Tilenga, the government has failed to trace six project-affected persons while 27 other PAPs are embroiled in family wrangles on who
exactly should get the compensation money.
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Phillipe Groueix, the General Manager TotalEnergies EP Uganda said that the housing
project is an important symbol of the commitment to undertake the Tilenga
development project while observing the utmost human rights standards.
He says
Total E&P is taking all the necessary initiatives to ensure that they adequately
restore and improve the living standards of the PAPs.
Groueix said
that the construction and handover of the 105 houses to the Tilenga PAPs marks
a new beginning for the PAPs under Resettlement Action Plans-RAPs 2 to 5 who
accepted to be relocated to enable the developments and progress of Uganda’s
oil and gas industry.
Groueix added that TotalEnergies EP Uganda will support and contribute towards
the social economic development of the host communities living in the vicinity
of their activities especially those who have been affected by the Tilenga
project.
Fred Lukumu,
the Buliisa LCV Chairperson said that there is a need to establish a vocational
skilling institute to enable the youths and other people to acquire the requisite
skills and knowledge in order to be employed in the oil and gas sector.
He says
several youths in the district are not employed in the crucial oil and gas
industry because they lack skills.
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Norah
Bigirwa, the Buliisa Woman Member of Parliament asked the government to take
the initiative of empowering and preparing women in the district and the entire
Bunyoro sub-region to supply the oil industry.
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The houses that were handed over to the Tilenga PAPs were
constructed in accordance with what the PAPs had in their
former places of residence.
