Ms.Jane Nakinobe, a 38-year-old mother of five and a resident of Kiyuni village, Mulagi Sub County in Kyankwanzi District, narrates how she worked with her husband to acquire land that was but later she was betrayed after compensation.
“I had a lot of excitement when l heard that we were to be compensated but unfortunately l was wrong because sorrow and pain begun after “, she narrated to this website seemingly devastated.
Ms.Nakinobe, now a single mother says they were among the people that received all their compensation money husband, Peter Ssempijja disappeared with it.
“Raising my children as a single has been one of the hardest tasks since the land for cultivation was taken by the government after compensation”, she explains.
She has since resorted to bottle picking and washing people’s clothes to earn the little for her children’s survival.
Ms.Nakinobe lives in a poor financial state that even taking her children to school is hard.
“I only get peanuts from the work that do, seeing my children at home during school time breaks me down as a mother “she said with tears in her face.
The little earnings Ms.Nakinobe gets from the work she does can only provide food and rent for her and her children.
Ms.Nakinobe hasn’t been able to get justice. When she tried involving leaders about the matter, he efforts stalled along the way since it required a lot of money to follow up which she didn’t have.
Ms.Nakinobe is not the only one in this situation since most of the men decide to disappear after being compensated.
However, Denis Kakungulu the chairman of Kiyuni village, seemed unware when asked about the matter of men disappearing with money after compensation without the consent of their wives.He however pledged to work with Ms.Nakinobe and other victims so as justice can be served, He also called upon other women in the same situation to come out for help.
Samuel Mugisa the Social Affairs Officer at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) recently told this website that compensations are still ongoing and that those who have not yet been paid will be paid.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa noted that 95% of the displaced people have been resettled, despite the difficulties in paying landowners in Uganda, where land ownership is perpetual.
Story compiled by Joannie Nteza
Dozens of people including university students from Makerere, Kampala international and Kyambogo were arrested at the end of May this year during a peaceful protest against the East African crude oil pipeline project EACOP near Lugogo Bypass, Nakawa Division in Kampala City.
The aim for this peaceful protest was intended to demand KCB bank to withdraw its financial support from the project since to them it involves violation of human and environmental rights.
The EACOP project stretches from Kabaale in Hoima District of western Uganda to Tanga port in Tanzania. It is intended to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanga port in Tanzania and it will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world once it’s done.
KCB bank is one of the funders that have continuously financed the project despite it being deemed by activists as dangerous to the environment and people.
The protesters included Shafick Karyango, a representative of students against EACOP, Habib Karungu,Shamim Nalwadda,Kyosimire, JoweriaTopista ,Nakyambadde and Bernad Mutenyo who, by the time of filing this story, were still detained at the old Kira road police division in Kampala city.
“The government claims that we are sponsored by foreign entities which is not right, our families are victims of this project”, explained Mr. Shafick Karyango
Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick onyango explained to the press that the protest was illegal and it had not secured clearance from the inspector general of police (IGP).
It should also be noted that this is not the first group to protest against this project since many people have fallen victims to this matter.
Despite several protests and warnings from the environmental and human rights activists, the government has not been moved nor its financial funders like KCB total energies among others.
Compiled by Joannie Nteza
April, 8th 2025
EVICTED, DISPLACED, AND DENIED JUSTICE:
A TRAGIC STORY OFAGABA AND UGANDA’S OIL-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES –THE CASE OF TILENGA & EAST AFRICA CRUDE OIL PIPELINE (EACOP)
On 3rd March, 2025, Mr. Chrispas Andrew Agaba Katushabe stood amidst the rubble that was once his home, his family scattered, his children left without shelter, and his future uncertain. His eviction was not just a personal tragedy, it was a symbol of the deep injustices faced by the many Ugandan families displaced by TotalEnergies’ Tilenga and EACOP oil projects.
Agaba’s fate was sealed by a series of court rulings that prioritised corporate and government interests over the rights of ordinary citizens. It all began on 4th December, 2023, when the government of Uganda rushed to file a case against 42 families at the High Court in Hoima. Within just four days, on 8th December, 2023, Justice Jesse Byaruhanga ruled against these families, granting the government orders that effectively erased their ownership rights:
i. The government was allowed to deposit inadequate compensation money in court, despite the fact that the families had rejected it for being unfair and inadequate.
ii. The ruling sanctioned the eviction of the affected families without them first receiving any compensation.
iii. The government was granted the right to demolish their houses and seize their land.
iv. Most disturbingly, the ruling absolved the government of any further liability regarding meted on the affected families.
For Agaba and many others, this was not just a loss of property, it was a brutal violation of their constitutional rights. Uganda’s Article 26 of the Constitution explicitly states that no person can be deprived of their land without fair and adequate compensation being paid first. Yet, despite this, the government rushed forward with their eviction plans, invoking Section 6 of the 1965 Land Acquisition Act – a colonial-era law that was historically used to dispossess Ugandans of their land.
As Agaba’s family fought to protect their home, the government intensified its attack. On 10th January, 2025, they filed another application at the Hoima High Court, seeking demolition orders against Agaba. Even before Agaba’s lawyers could receive official notice of the ruling, the government had already destroyed his home and thrown his family out onto the “streets”.
This act of forced eviction was not just illegal, it was inhumane. It disregarded the dignity and survival of the most vulnerable: the poor, women, children, and the elderly, who were left to fend for themselves without food, shelter, or support. It revealed a judiciary that had surrendered to political pressure, allowing the government to illegally amend Uganda’s Constitutionthroughthebackdoor.
While cases filed by the government are heard and decided in just four days, cases filed by oil- affected families, some dating back to 2014, continue to rot in court, ignored and unresolved. This is not justice. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Agaba’s story is not unique. Across Uganda’s oil-rich regions, families are being forcibly displaced, their land grabbed, their homes demolished, and their futures destroyed, all in the name of oil extraction. The promise of development has turned into a nightmare for those who once lived peacefully on their ancestral land.
But the fight is far from over. Agaba and many others are determined to seek justice. We are working with Agaba and all those who are suffering oil injustice to:
1) File a case at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to challenge these injustices at a regional level.
2) File a complaint with the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) to hold the government accountable for these violations.
3) We are working with the communities in Buliisa and beyond to construct a temporary
house for Agaba’s family to live as we support him to fight his rights and get justice,
4) We call upon the public to contribute anything possible to support Agaba to feed his children, keep his children in school and ensure they get health services,
5) We shall support Agaba to petition international stakeholders such as the European Union in Uganda, American Embassy and international bodies that believe in human rights,
6) Agaba will be supported to petition the World bank and other financial institutions not to fund the EACOP and Tilenga projects to stop human rights violations,
7) Further, Agaba will be supported to petition the Chief Justice to ensure that cases filed by the oil affected people are heard as a matter of urgency,
8) We shall work with Agaba and other oil affected people to write to the East African Community Secretary General and the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to intervene and ensure that the EACOP case at the EACJ is fast-tracked to ensure that East Africans get justice and live in dignity.
These are just the first steps. We will continue to explore all legal and non legal avenues to ensure
that the voices of Uganda’s oil-affected communities are heard and that justice is served.
Uganda’s Judiciary Must Choose: Justice or Complicity?
The Ugandan judiciary must decide whether it will stand with the people and the Constitution or continue to serve as a tool for powerful interests. Article 2 of the Constitution is clear: any law that contradicts the Constitution is null and void. The courts cannot continue to rubber-stamp the government’s illegal land grabs hiding under the cover of colonial laws of 1965. Its absurd that for over two years the Constitutional Court of Uganda has failed to decide the case regarding the constitutionality of Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act of 1965.
The world is watching. The people of Uganda will not be silenced. The fight for justice continues.
This statement is signed by the following organizations who are working to ensure that oil affected people get justice:
SIGNATORIES
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)
Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO)
Uganda National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Alliance (UNREEEA)
Centre for Sustainability Innovation and Research (CSIR)
Center for Citizens Conserving Environment and Management (CECIC)
Fridays for Future- Uganda (FFF)
Toro Initiative for Socio-economic Development
Guild Presidents Forum on Governance (GPFOG)
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA)
Agro-Tourism Association (ATA)
Strategic Response for Environment Conservation (STREC)
Civic Response on Environment and Development (CRED)
Lake Albert Children and Women Advocacy Development Organization (LACWADO)
Navigators of Development Association (NAVODA)
Friends with Environment in Development (FED)
Youth for Green Communities (YGC)
Women for Green Economy Movement (WoGEM)
Tasha Research Institute Africa
African Initiative on Food Security and Environment (AIFE)
Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF)
Food Rights Alliance (FRA)
Environment Governance Institute (EGI)
Center for Conservation and Ecoenergy Initiative (CCEI)
Oil and Gas Residents’ Association (ORGHA)
East African Crude Oil Pipeline Host Communities (EACOPHC)
Oil Refinery Residents Association (ORRA)
Center for Environmental for Research and Agriculture Innovation (CERAI)
South Western Institute for Policy and Advocacy (SOWIPA)
Initiative for Green Planet (IGP)
Youth for Nature Conservancy (YNC)
Liberty Probono Initiative (LPI)
Activists for Climate Initiative (ACI)
Kasese Women’s Group
Youth Concern on Environment and Development (YCED)
By Rajab Bwengye-NAPE
Africa is known as the World’s richest in terms of Natural resources. These include forests, wetlands, minerals, wild animals, fertile soils, lakes and rivers plus other magnificent land forms therefore, why the continent has remained as a habitat for the World’s poor has never been an issue of depravity of natural resources.
The recent discoveries of oil in East Africa confirm the dominance of Africa, as far as endowment of natural resources is concerned. From North, through Central to South; to West and now east, the continent is richly endowed with natural resources. The East African region has been the last frontier. However, the indigenous inhabitants of the land upon which the discovery is made have expressed fear of disruption, pollution, land grabbing, corruption, human rights abuse and insecurity; these consequences have been felt all over the continent.
In North Africa, the Arab spring that started in Tunisia, Egypt, through Libya and now biting Sudan (Noth and South), Syria has exposed the danger that can accompany petrol dollars; the creation of deep seated aristocracies built out of oil wealth. All the above oil rich nations ended up in civil strife.
In Central Africa, DRC has never known peace despite rich natural resource endowment. Oil, copper, gold constitute the denominator figure in the equation.
In West Africa, political instability has been the order of the day mainly due to Oil mining by Royal Shell. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (“MEND”) is, for example, one of the largest militant groups; it claims to expose exploitation and oppression of the people by Federal Government of Nigeria and Oil corporations involved in the extraction of oil in the Niger Delta
In East Africa, there are all signs that poor governance of the oil resource is the biggest challenge that is befalling Uganda’s oil dollar fortunes in the Albertine rift. East Africans in Kenya and Tanzania should, therefore, be wary. Lest the trend comes calling.
Sudan, both North and South, Somalia and Eritrea are already in serious internal conflict; revolving around resource sharing and political machinations. In addition to the above , Oil extraction in the Eastern part of the continent will, in the near future, wreck important ecosystems because oil extractions are being operated in ecologically sensitive zones .
• In Kenya for example, Oil in 2007 was discovered in Sibiloi National Park the South Island and the Central Island National Parks located in the Lake Turkana Basin-North Kenya. The area was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997 due to being inhabited by diverse fauna.
• In Tanzania, there is off shore mapping of oil and gas deposits in the deeper continental shelf –The Indian Ocean Coast by The Norwegian Company Statoil Hydro which signed a PSA, in April 2007, on Block II offshore and now , the East African crude pipeline (EACOP) project will in Tanzania alone tranverse 7 regions and twenty-three (23) Districts, namely, Missenyi, Bukoba, Muleba, Biharamulo, Chato, Geita, Mbogwe, Bukombe, Kahama, Nzega, Igunga, Iramba, Mkalama, Singida, Kondoa, Chemba, Hanang, Kiteto, Kilindi, Handeni, Korogwe, Muheza, and Tanga, and cover a distance of one thousand one hundred forty-seven (1,147) kilometres. The thirty (30) metre-wide corridor running for one thousand, one hundred, forty-seven (1,147) km, plus the land-take of the four (4) pump stations, two (2) pressure reduction stations, the marine storage terminal, the twelve (12) camps and the thermal insulation facility will take up ten thousand eighty-one (10,081) acres. This will affect a total of nine thousand five hundred thirteen (9,513) people – the PAPs. . More importantly, the Tanzanian coastline that will also be partly affected is covered by Rich Mangrove forest that are breeding places of many land animal and bird species
• In Uganda/Democratic Republic of Congo, there is Oil exploration in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas.
There is also Oil extraction activities mainly Development of a CPF with capacity to process 190,000 barrels of oil and 700,000 of total liquid per day, Drilling of over 426 wells (200 water injector wells,196 oil producer wells, 2 polymer pilot wells and 28 reference wells) planned to be drilled on 31 well pads, Over 160 kilometrers of flow lines which will transport crude oil and water from the wells to the Central processing facility (CPF) in bullisa at Kasenyi village, 95 km 24 inch feeder pipelines which will transport processed crude oil from the CPF in buliisa to the Export hub and Green oil refinery plant seated on 28 Sq km land in Kabaale-Hoima District and a 1443 km long heated oil and gas pipeline traversing the East african region from Uganda (hoima) to the Indian coast port of Tanga in Tanzania .
These are messing up the biodiversity rich Albertine graben a known world heritage of Flora and Fauna displacing thousands of communities and perpetuating the following environmnental and social economic challenges;
Signing in Darkness –“A community Member-Ms Nyamahungye showing how she was cheated off her land in Buliisa by Oil companies after signing land acquisition documents for the Buliisa based feeder oil pipelines she did not understand”.
“The Consent form has a disclaimer “This Consent form is made in compliance with the requirements to secure the consent of the land owners under section 135 of the Petroleum Act. It shall be signed by the landlord only as evidence of such mandatory consent .It is not and must not be taken as notice of intended use, acquisition or purchase of the described land by TEBU nor does it entitle the land owner to any payment or form of compensation .Any such claim based primarily on endorsement of this consent shall be disregarded”
All the above injustices justify why dirty energy fossils promotion in East Africa, in Africa and any where in the world should be fought at all cost.
The writer is the Sustainability School & Community Green Radio Program Manager -NAPE
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Day of Rural Women by running a special program dubbed “special rural woman” on its Community Green Radio.
The program was intended to celebrate the rural women’s contribution by giving them a platform to amplify their voices on challenges, successes and inspirations encountered in taking part in development.
The International Day of Rural Women recognizes the critical roles and contributions of rural women in enhancing agriculture and rural development, food security and nutrition, and eradicating rural poverty. The 2024 International Day of Rural Women invites all stakeholders to celebrate the rural women’s essential role in building climate resilience, conserving the biodiversity and caring for the land.
UN Women’s latest research estimate that globally, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty and 236 million more women and girls into food insecurity by 2050.
During the program, the women noted that natural resources and livelihoods are being depleted and rural women’s ability to safely secure healthy food, clean energy and water has diminished.
Margret Nassiwa, a resident of Kasimbi Village in Mulagi Sub County in Kiboga district says unpaid for work such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water and firewood, and taking care of the children and other family members give women less time to go for paid labour and end up having only one option as agriculture as source of employment.
However, their efforts to be economically empowered in farming are still frustrated by cultural norms that put men at the center of everything who end up owning and selling the crops grown by women yet they(women) do all the laborious agricultural work.
The women highlighted that despite the fact that rural women play indispensable role in the area of food security, poverty eradication and rural development in general, they still face great challenges such as limited ownership, control and access to land due to patriarchy that increases the poverty level margin.
Rose Kunihira a rural woman who has been involved in farming since 2001 after marriage says the challenges she faces as a rural farmer range from limited land that she acquired after losing her husband in 2007 to unproductive land due to loss of soil fertility.
“As a single mother of two, I raise my children through farming but as a rural farmer, I lack access to information provided to other farmers, I pray to be empowered through financing to acquire more land” Kunihira laments.
Kate Kobusingye says though farming is vital for rural women, they are barred by the high costs incurred to buy inputs for their crops because of the modern seeds that need fertilizers yet most of the soils have become poor due to planting one type of crop.
“We are faced with costly Agro-inputs yet as rural women farmers, we are poor, so why can’t they empower us to use indigenous seeds that are cheap to maintain if we are to eradicate poverty and promote food security “says Kobusingye.
Valeria Nabweteme, another rural woman from Kyankwanzi notes that lack of access to clean and safe water and clean energy consumes much time for rural women to involve in other source of livelihoods that are income generating. She adds that lack of access to electricity and financial services like banks are a challenge to women who may want to deal in business.
“Women spend long distances looking for firewood and water which is a challenge. If government can extend services to rural areas or provide clean energy alternatives, maybe rural women can get out of poverty,” said Nabweteme.
However, the challenges highlighted by women can be overcome if women are empowered and know their rights according to some of the rural women activists who are trying to change the lives of other women.
Sylvia Nalumagga, a Coordinator for Bunyoro Women’s Development Network and the Deputy Mayor for Hoima City says women can be change agents if they put their brains together to find solutions as they continue putting pressure on government. She says her group came up with an idea of making charcoal briquettes from food wastes and energy saving stoves as an alternative to solve the problem of firewood and its related challenges like scarcity, environmental degradation, smoke among others.
Annet Kasoro, the Coordinator of a Kabaale Women’s Farmers group in Buseruka Sub County in Hoima says that they have embarked on growing and promoting indigenous seeds that were facing extinction due to improved seeds which had become costly and prone to pests and disease leading to food insecurity which impacts much on women.
Beatrice Rukanyanga, a member of the steering committee for Rural Women’s Movement says women need to have one voice and be able to stand up and advocate for their rights so that the government can listen.
She says they are mobilizing women to join the rural women’s movement so that they can be at the forefront of demand for environmental social and economic justice.
Precious Naturinda, the Field Mobilizer for NAPE’s Grassroots Women Movement says there is need to unite in promoting rural women’s rights, amplifying their voices and taking concrete action to support their indispensable role in forging a more equitable, just and sustainable world for all people and the planet.
She says NAPE is mobilizing women to influence decision making in national development processes as well as promote the adoption of feminist development alternatives in communities affected by resource extraction and large development projects.
Leaders in Kiboga and Kyankwanzi districts have called on citizens to embrace government programs as a solution to end poverty which is the main cause of gender-based violence.
Speaking in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Kyankwanzi, Peruth Kabaale said that embracing key government programs is the only solution to get Ugandans out of poverty.
“The only way we can end gender based violence and violence against children is to embrace parish development model, Emyooga, Youth livelihood programs, Grow loans and all opportunities so that we can get out of poverty and then we would have solutions for early marriages,” Kabale said
Kabale however noted that government action alone is not enough and asked all stakeholders, parents, community leaders, civil society organizations, religious and cultural leaders and the private sector to also join the fight against forced marriages, teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.
“We must take joint actions to ensure all our girls enroll and complete all levels of education, live healthy, free from violence and all harmful social norms. We must work together to dismantle all barriers that hinder girls’ progress in Uganda,” she said.
Her comments came after the young girls in the district raised an alarm over increasing school drop outs, forced marriages and gender-based violence affecting them; which are attributed to poverty.
According to the District Vice Chairperson for Kyankwanzi, Amooti Mijjumbi, poverty worsens gender-based violence (GBV) by increasing economic dependence, limiting access to resources, and reinforcing harmful social norms.
Christine Kaaya, the Kiboga district woman Member of Parliament, urged parents to follow up cases of rape and defilement from police up to court so that the offenders are apprehended.
Story compiled by Gerald Senkoomi
Beatrice Rukanyanga’s group, Kwataniza Women Farmer’s group was among the 54 Non-Governmental Organizations whose operation, the government suspended in 2021.
The Community Based Organization, located in Buseruka Sub County in Hoima district aimed at promoting women’s livelihoods and rights, was suspended for four months.
Whereas the reason for suspension was among others non-compliance, Rukanyanga says her group had no compliance issues. She instead says,
“The government sees us as anti-development and they do all this to instill fear in us so that we don’t hold them accountable.”
Rukanyanga is among many women activists who have braved threats and intimidation for talking against the risks related to the planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline and its negative impacts on the local communities in Uganda’s Albertine region.
Sylvia Kemigisa, another activist and the chairperson of Kaiso Women’s Group located in Kaiso fishing village along Lake Albert in Hoima district also expressed concern over the frustrations they go through to renew their operating license with the district.
“We normally experience delays from district leaders who sometimes threaten to close our group They always say we are against oil and gas industry yet we always talk about issues affect our community such as loss of livelihoods, increased gender based violence and high school dropout rates,” said Ms.Kemigisa.
According to the activists, the communities are feeling the pinch of negative impacts of extractives including increased cases of gender based violence, food insecurity land grabbing and violation of human rights due to the massive infrastructure development for oil and gas.
“Our communities are already experiencing food insecurity fueled by oil and gas developments which have increased cases of land grabbing due to pipeline, airport and refinery projects in our area,” said Rukanyanga. “Besides that gender based violence sparked by food insecurity, land grabbing and unfair compensation has increased. In 2022, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) established a safe space at our office with trained caretakers to handle cases of gender based violence but in a year, we register over 300 cases which mostly affect women,” she said.
According to Rukanyanga, they have continuously been stifled by government for defending the rights of people affected by crude oil activities.
It is against this background that the grassroots women are building power through grassroots women movement as a strategy to collectively fight against the negative impacts of oil and gas.
The NAPE led women’s movement that has already mobilized over 35000 women in Hoima, Buliisa, Kiboga, Kwankwanzi, Kikuube and Nwoya districts is aimed challenging the negative impacts of oil and gas by standing in solidarity, speaking up and holding their leaders accountable.
“There is power in numbers. The government finds it hard to target an individual or a group when we are speaking as one voice yet organized in thousands. In case of any problem, we support each other,” said Rukanyanga.
Rajab Bwengye the coordinator of programs at NAPE called upon women to continue fighting for their rights as NAPE builds the grassroots women movement with a target of mobilizing at least 50,000 women to engage collectively against the dangers of extractives and demanding for climate justice by close of 2027.
During their recent interaction meetings at the close of August 2024, EACOP affected women under the Grassroots Women Movement led by National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) expressed dismay over continued land grabbing, gender based violence, forced evictions and hunger and also increased environmental degradation which have left women in the livelihood hardships.
“We thought it was oil and prosperity, the productive land for agriculture has been taken for oil and gas developments as speculators and rich people grab land leaving women- who have for long lived on the land for survival- in livelihood hardships. We are suffering with accelerated food insecurity, climate change effects and ecosystems depletion,” said Justine Nyakalaya, a resident of Kakindo village in Buliisa town council.
According to the women, the communities are feeling the pinch of negative impacts of extractives including increased cases of violence against women, girls and children, gender based violence, food insecurity, and violation of human rights due to the massive infrastructure development for oil and gas.
“Our communities are already experiencing food insecurity fueled by oil and gas developments which have increased cases of land grabbing due to the pipeline, airport and refinery projects in our area,” said Rukanyanga. “Besides that gender based violence sparked by food insecurity, land grabbing and unfair compensation has increased. In 2022, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) established a safe space at our office with trained caretakers to handle cases of gender based violence but in a year, we register over 300 cases which mostly affect women,” she said.
According to Rukanyanga, they have continuously been stifled by government for defending the rights of people affected by crude oil activities commending the work NAPE and the Green radio are doing to ensure women are well organized and well-coordinated to collectively defend their rights through movement building.
The women further appreciated the Community Green Radio for amplifying their voices and giving them a platform to speak up and collectively resist the negative impacts of oil and gas extractives.
“Community Green Radio has been instrumental in putting our voices on the airwaves so that we can talk about the issues affecting us, contribute to and initiate conversations within our community about the challenges we face, the solutions and how to hold our leaders accountable,” said Sylvia Kemigisa of Kaiso Women Empowerment agency thanking partners such as 11th Hour, American Jewish world Service and Woman Kind World Wide who are supporting Women Organizing and the Green radio Outreach Advocacy Work.
The women say they have been targeted by government to silence them not to talk about the negative impacts of oil and gas but Community Green Radio has given them the safe space to speak out collectively against Oil injustices they face.
“Even when we are not allowed to hold meetings, the Community Green Radio journalists often record our voices and play them on radio,” said Sylvia Kemigisa, the Chairperson of Kaiso Women Empowerment Agency.
They called on Community Green Radio journalists to make more frequent visits and coverage of oil and gas injustices amidst economic hardships noting that their remote and hard to reach locations quite often put them at a disadvantage making them suffer in silence against negative impacts of the many oil and gas infrastructure hosted in their localities singling out Oil well pads, oil pipelines, central processing facilities and oil roads.
Rajab Bwengye, the coordinatorof projects at NAPE said the Green radio’s aim is to strengthen the voices of grass root women and youths, give them an advocacy platform and shape interventions on issues affecting them. He pledged for continued coverage of their issues and putting their voices on the airwaves.
“Women are the experts of their own lives. They know better the issues affecting them than anybody else and that’s why as Community Green Radio, we have created safe spaces for them to be heard and be part of the conversation on oil and gas injustices,” said Bwengye.
SheliaMuwanga, the Country representative of American Jewish World Service (AJWS) who joined the NAPE team on the Women Solidarity campaigns against extractives in the Oil rift called on Women not to give up but rather continue to mobilize and defend collectively against corporate capture.
Women affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) have been urged to take part in efforts aimed at mitigating effects of climate change in the wake of oil developments.
While meeting women affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Hoima, Kikuube and Buliisa districts, Frank Muramuzi, the Executive Director for National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) said oil projects and other related infrastructure like the roads, pipelines and the airport have already increased ecosystems depletion which will accelerate climate disasters.
Muramuzi urged women to plant trees, embrace energy saving initiatives like making charcoal briquettes and energy saving stoves to reduce on tree cutting.
During the meeting, the women from the districts of Buliisa, Hoima and Kikuube districts said they are already experiencing poor harvests and water scarcity which they attribute to oil and gas developments.
“The last agricultural season was characterized with poor harvests with communities specifically in Kabaale Sub County affected by the long dry spell which surfaced at a time people expected more rains after planting crops. Our soils no longer hold water for long which we attribute to massive cutting down of trees and destruction of water sources like Bugoma forest and swamps,” said Annet Kasolo, a resident of Kabaale Sub County in Hoima district.
Gorreti Kiiza, a resident of Kadindo cell in Buliisa town council said the area is experiencing floods which affect crops and houses due to massive tree cutting to pave way for oil and gas infrastructure.
“Bullisa is currently a beehive of oil and gas activities oil well pads are within people’s residential areas, pipelines and road constructions are everywhere this has led to massive vegetation loss. All this has caused floods which have affected crops leading to food insecurity and also forced displacement,” said Kiiza.
Kiiza further appreciated NAPE for organizing them into Grassroot Women’s Movement to collectively speak up against the challenges they are facing and building resilient communities able to fight for their rights.
STORY COMPILED BY OUR REPORTER
Buganda Kingdom has publically recognized and appreciated the work of the Community Green Radio. The Radio has been awarded with a certificate of appreciation for its service to the subjects of the kingdom through providing communication services.
Esther Mugambwa, Owomuluka Gwa Buganda Sabawali (Parish Chief) who delivered the certificate at the radio premises said the Kingdom is much pleased with the radio and its work.
“We are highly pleased with the work you are doing in transforming the lives of the subjects of His Majesty through the various programs that are transformational”, said Mrs.Mugamba.
Community Green radio is based in Kiboga town in central Uganda which is part of Buganda Kingdom. The radio predominantly broadcasts in the Kiganda dialect which is the official language of the kingdom.
Mrs.Mugambwa appealed for continued working ties between the radio and the kingdom.
“We need to continue working together in conserving the environment, preserving Buganda cultural norms and transforming the lives of the King’s subjects”, she narrated.
Julius Kyamanywa, the Station Manager at the Community Green Radio pledged the radio’s commitment to continue serving the kingdom subjects in promotion of culture and environment.
“The kingdom and its issues stand at the heart of our programming decisions. We shall continue airing content that promote the values of the kingdom and environmental conservation and we invite the kingdom to continue complementing our efforts always”, asserted Kyamanywa.
The recognition and awarding of the certificate to the radio comes at a time when the Kingdom subjects are doing the annual donations to the palace commonly known by the kingdom subjects as Luwalo.
Community Green Radio is the main channel of communication for an estimated audience of more than 7 million people living the districts of Kiboga, Mubende, Mityana, Luwero, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Kibaale, Masindi, Kyenjojo, Ssembabule, Hoima, and some parts of Kampala. The radio is strategically positioned in the far central along Kampala-Kiboga-Hoima road an area known for oil resources in Uganda and was incorporated in 2006.
The mission of the radio is amplifying the voices of the communities at the grassroots.
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