Community Green Radio, through the National Association of Professional Environmentalists-NAPE has joined a partnership with other media Organizations, Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) and Diplo brief Kenya aimed at strengthening community media, digital safety and civic engagements ahead of the 2026 general elections in Uganda. The project was orfficially launched on Monday October 13 2025 in Gulu city and is supported by American Jewish World Service -AJWS.
“The community Green radio and NAPE will ensure that partners are acquitted with the legal and compliance requirements for media houses and civic society organization to ensure total compliance during and after elections. The Green radio will also broadcast civic education messages from partners to ensure that citizens front salient issues of environmental justice, land and human rights as campaign demands”, says Mr. Rajab Bwengye Yusufu, the NAPE Ag. Executive Director.
He thanked American Jewish World Service (AJWS), who were represented by Ms.Sheila Muwanga at the launch, for the support to the project. –Ms. Muwanga is the AJWS Uganda Country Representative.
Mr.Bwengye says the project has come as a timely response to the ever deteriorating media freedoms and civic liberties in Uganda calling it a right moment to beef up media digital safety, legal compliance and ensuring that the voice of the voiceless on issues of human and environmental rights abuse find space in the upcoming national election agendas in Uganda.
NAPE was represented at the launch by Kyamanywa Julius the Station Manager of the Community Green Radio.
Other partners in this project include Solidarity Uganda and Friends of Zoka.
The launch was president over by Mr. Onoria Ambrose, the Resident City Commissioner, RCC Gulu city.
Mr.Onoria appealed to partners for cooperation with government during the implementation and assured them of support.
“As government, we are ready to work with you for a free and fair election. We shall provide you with all the necessary support during the implementation”, the RCC stressed.
Mr. Alfred Oryem of NUMEC appealed to partners to try and implement what was stipulated in the project documents and as per the agreements signed. He noted that time has moved but called on partners to try and implement.
The project has five components that include Community Digital Ambassadors Program, Secure Media Hub at NUMEC, “Silent No More” Digital Campaign, Compliance and Amplification and Reporting Grants and Safety Support.
Mrs.Annastinzia Kakooza, a resident of Kaseeta village, Buseruka Sub County in Hoima district is concerned about the growing numbers of people in the area.
She claims this is to due to the East African Crude Oil Pipe line project (EACOP) that attracts so many people to work in the area.
During a community outreach by Community Green radio journalists to this area this month, Mrs. Explained that cases of intermarriages, high cost of living, insecurity and land grabbing are so rampant.
Mrs.Kakooza says the situation has been escalating ever since the discovery of oil with many locals losing their land to the powerful individuals in government who had intention in the EACOP earmarked area.
“Girls nolonger want to go to school since the EACOP workers promise them heaven and earth in exchange for sexual favors and boys prefer working to schooling thus leading to increased cases of school drop outs”, Mrs.Kakooza said.
“We were so much delighted upon hearing the discovery of oil our area because we thought our lives would change, but now we regret”, she added.
Mrs.Kakooza further explained that workers usually trespass in their gardens and take their food sometimes causing damages to the plantations which has resulted into food insecurity in the area with local leaders doing nothing to help the masses.
“The pain of betrayal cuts deep when leaders entrusted to safeguard our well being, appear to side with those causing harm”, she said
She expressed gratitude to the National Association of Professional Environmentalists for their tireless efforts in championing justice and ensuring that the rights of the affected communities are protected.
Story compiled by Joanne Nteza
As the EACOP advances, families are finding themselves torn apart by the disputes over compensation and land rights, their unity frayed by the pressure of displacement and uncertainty.
This discovery was made after a one on one interview with the EACOP affected communities during our out reach in Hoima, western Uganda this month (September)
Ms.Kyalimpa Joy, a resident of Kabaale village, Buseruka sub county in Hoima district disclosed to us that her husband disappeared with the compensation, leaving her to struggle in supporting their.
“We struggled so much with my husband to acquire our land but he vanished after receiving compensation”, Kyalimpa explained.
Kyalimpa said she finds difficuilties in supporting her family since the land for cultivation was taken and the husband disappeared with all the compensation money. Her children no longer go to school since the little she gets can only provide food.
“Doing casual labor on other people’s farms is my only means of survival, and feeding my family. Seeing my children at home during school time breaks me down as a mother”, a seemingly sorrowful Kyalimpa narrated.
Kyalimpa’s quest for justice was met with disappointment when she sought help from the leaders in her community and she is calling on government to intervene in her matters and provide the necessary assistance.
STORY COMPILED BY JOANNE NTEZA
The community Green Radio has for over years provided a platform for communities affected by the oil and gas infrastructures, especially the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, EACOP.
On September 23 2025, a number of those affected by the pipeline were hosted again. The program was aimed at giving a platform to the affected persons to share their ordeals regarding the ongoing construction of the pipeline and how it relates to their social economic stand.
During the show, Byekwaso Sharif from Nabidondolo in Kyankwanzi district said the results of the oil development didn’t come as they expected. He expressed fear of intense suffering of people after misuse of their compensation.
“Delayed compensation is worrying me and other people of the impending suffering beyond what we have experienced. I call on government to think about us urgently”, he narrated during the show
Mr. Leo Sebufu reminded government of their pledge to transfer grave yards of those affected by the pipeline and that the community members are still waiting while Mr. Kisule Joseph wondered when land tittles that were taken away from the affected people would be returned since communities are living in fear of losing their land now that even local leaders deny knowledge of the whereabouts of those titles.
“We aren’t certain if we shall ever have out land titles back. It is even hard for one to look for a loan these titles used to act as collateral security”, Kisule explained.
Asuman Ssembatya, the parish chairperson for Nabulembeko Parish in Kyankwanzi district said as a leader he has been following on community issues resulting from displacement arising out of the EACOP. He added that as leaders on ground, they have found challenges in advocating for EACOP PAPs since some actor have blackmailed local leaders with a view of diving community members for their manipulation. He said no matter the situation, they will continue to advocate for the rights of PAPs so that they get the share of their compensation. He thanked NAPE f or all initiatives geared towards ensuring that communities are compensated and on time as provided for in the law. He pledged to continue pushing the cause for community to authorities at all levels.
Families must trek nearly 2-3km to fetch stagnant water from unreliable sources within the Kitegwa B in Kabaale Parish Buseruka Sub County in Hoima district.
Kabanyoro Everce a resident of Kitegwa B in Kabaale Parish Buseruka Sub County Hoima District, western Uganda notes that the scarcity has led to social issues, with girls falling prey to men while fetching water, and families facing turmoil as husbands accuse their wives of infidelity when they return late from fetching water.
Kabanyoro laments the lack of access to clean water has forced them to move long treks to fetch water that had not been their problem before the EACOP came.
Another resident Annet Kasolo shares a similar story. She notes that families have bathed in the same poor-quality water for as long as she can remember.
Kasolo further explains that due to the water scarcity, families have resorted to bathing in shifts.
“When people must travel such long distances for water, they find ways to manage. Many families now bathe in shifts; if the husband bathes on Monday, the wife bathes on Tuesday, and the children on Wednesday. Imagine living like that, especially for those who need to go to work. Our appeal to the government is to provide us with modern water sources,” Kasolo said.
“They had constructed five boreholes but per now we only have two functional boreholes in the village and with the population size 2 boreholes is just a drop in the ocean. We appeal to any partners who can help, as the water people are drinking is so bad that you feel sick just thinking about it,” Kasolo added.
She added that many residents frequently fall ill, but they have no choice but to continue using the contaminated water.
The under drilling destroyed most of the water sources and the destruction led to scarcity of water and residents who cannot afford to buy a jerry can at 1000 Uganda shillings have resorted to walking miles in search for water from wells and swamps.
Many community members in the EACOP affected areas had hopes in securing jobs from the project but few were employed.
Nyamahunge Milius, one of the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) says they face job scarcity due to lost livelihoods from land acquisition, which has reduced their access to agricultural land and thus their ability to earn income.
However, EACOP and its partners are implementing livelihood restoration programs, including vocational training and provision of start-up kits, to equip us particularly youth with practical skills for self-employment most of us are left behind.
Nyamahunge says government promised thousands of jobs and local investment surprisingly all was given away to foreign investors who have neglected to give them jobs.
“I expectations that oil would bring economic development but it has hindered our livelihoods since we lost our land which was used to be for farming and it was compensated with little money,” she says.
She thanked NAPE for training them by proving skills of good farming, making local mats and others.
Kobugabe Edith Abwooli one of the PAPs a resident of Kitegwa B village in Kabale parish in Buseruka Sub county in Hoima district says that the climate changed since the drilling and the construction of the pipeline started.
She says the destruction of swamps, wetlands, and water sources caused climate changes adding that indigenous trees were cut down and no efforts have been made to replace them.
While in her garden Kobugabe says the threat of oil spills poses severe dangers to wildlife and communities that depend on these ecosystems for their survival.
“I just plant crop hoping that one day we shall have rain so that our crops grow. We used to plant maize and sell it but now it’s hard,” Kobugabe says.
Kobugabe thanked NAPE for sensitizing them on how to conserve the environment by planting trees around homes and gardens.
She also says that after all the trainings and sensitizations from NAPE and community green radio, this has change her livelihood in the new farming methods and food storage programs from NAPE.
The chairman LC3 mr Micheale, Tabaro talking to farmers adjacent to Nabakazi wetland over the need to conserve the wetland more than ever before, in this era of climate change.
The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), in conjunction with the community green radio program on environment, got down to communities during the validation meetings to ascertain community perspectives on Nabakazi wetland conservation in august 2025. This presented an opportunity for community green radio outreach progrmme to better understand the community perspective with regard to the wetland in line with the research findings that had been concluded. The meeting also aimed at getting feedback on the baseline from the communities. NAPE used the opportunity of the meeting to sensitized them in Rwabagoma and Rwenyonza villages, Kitenge Sub County in Mubende district about the conservation of wetlands.
NAPE’s efforts are necessitated by the massive destruction of the Nabakazi wetland for agricultural expansion, settlements and other human activities.
Validation meeting and sensitization efforts were led by the then NAPE Executive Director Frank Muramuzi(RIP), the Coordinator of Programs at NAPE Rajab Yusufu Bwengye, David Kureeba, the Program Officer in charge of the Nabakazi wetland restoration project and the consultants who conducted the baseline study.
The consultants presented the study findings and it was a true record of what they had presented. However, communities wanted explanation on the ever expanding wetland to their land for grazing and agriculture.
Mr. Muramuzi highlighted the importance of the wetlands to the community such as source of water, coolers to the environment, habitant to wild animals among others. He also said the details regarding the wetland encroaching the peoples land he would bring the district officials to explain.
He also highlighted the risks associated with destroying swamps, such as threatening wildlife habitats and disruption of natural water cycles.
“If you clear away the wetlands, you clear the homes of some animals like snakes, monkeys and crocodiles”, Mr. Muramuzi explained.
Mr. Tabaro Michaele the chairperson Lwenyenza village in Kitenge Sub County commended NAPE for the sensitization efforts and urged the community to conserve the environment.
“Let’s protect the environment so that our children can inherit a better world “.he said.
Mr.Lotet Ronald, the Senior Environment Officer for Mubende District also expressed gratitude to NAPE for the tireless efforts in environmental conservation, acknowledging the significant impact of the organization’s work.
Nabakazi, wetland known for its diverse benefits to the community in Mubende district, is facing destruction with many seemingly unaware of its value.
The residents are encroaching on the wetland prioritizing settlement expansion, agricultural development, brick making among others. The issues captured would be played and discussed over the radio for other conservationists to learn from.
Story by: Nanteza Joan
By Rajab Bwengye Yusufu (Senior Programs Manager-Community Green Radio, Oil and gas Governance -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. Africa’s oil belt lies mainly along its Western coast in the countries abutting the Gulf of Guinea. “One third of the world’s new discoveries of oil since 2000 have taken place in Africa,” with rich oil deposits in Nigeria, Equatorial guinea, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Garbon ,Sudan, Chad,Ghana,Cameroon, Libya standing out as African Oil power economies.
The recent discoveries of huge oil deposits in East African countries of Uganda and Kenya confirm the dominance of Africa, as far as endowment of natural resources is concerned. East Africa will in the few years host the world’s longest crude Oil pipeline snaking from Hoima district to the Tanzanian coast port of Tanga covering 1443 Sq kms, making record as the ever longest heated oil and gas pipeline ever constructed on earth.
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 mineral discoveries are made have witnessed massive disruption, pollution, land grabbing, corruption, human rights abuse and insecurity; these consequences have been felt all over the African continent.
In North Africa, the Arab spring that started in Tunisia, Egypt, through Libya and now biting North and South Sudan 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 have ended up in civil strife resulting into death of millions of innocent people as the wealthy and political elites scramble for power.
Estimates of the death toll in the current Sudan conflict vary, but some sources suggest it has reached at least 150,000 people. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has also displaced over 11 million people within Sudan and at least 3.5 million across borders.
People who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced after it fell under RSF control, rest in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan’s western Darfur region on April 13, 2025. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-who-fled-the-zamzam-camp-for-the-internally-news-photo/2209632149?adppopup=true.
The high death toll is partially attributed to the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as the resulting humanitarian crisis. Reports indicate a significant increase in deaths from starvation and disease due to the conflict’s impact on food supplies and healthcare access according to a study by the London school of Hygiene and tropical medicine.
In Central Africa, DRC has never known peace despite rich natural resource endowment. Oil, copper, gold constitute the denominator figure in the equation and currently the country is being torn apart by armed conflicts in the mineral rich Eastern Province. Through the ongoing conflicts between the Congolese government and M23 rebels, more than 2000 people have already been killed and the eastern regional cities of Goma, Bukavu devastated leading to a huge refugee crisis in the region according to UN reports.
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 led by Royal Dutch energy Giant –Shell .
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.
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. Mining this oil means violation of the world heritage convention adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
• 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 and across in Uganda , the building of 2 central Processing facilities (CPFs both in Tilenga and Kingfisher Oil fields, drilling of over 426 wells (200 water injector wells,196 oil producer wells, 2 polymer pilot wells and 28 reference wells) , a 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 all violate national, regional and international laws ,guidelines and frameworks for biodiversity protection.
Ugandan law and regional African agreements including the Ugandan constitution Article 26 that gives land owners exclusive rights over their land until they are adequately compensated or resettled,
Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community: The EACOP project violates the spirit and letter of Articles 5 (3) (c), 8(1) (c), 111 (1) (b) & (d), 111 (1) & (2), and 114 (1) of the Treaty for the Establishment of The East African Community (EAC) on the protection of the environment. The above articles obligate the EAC partner states to mutually cooperate in the environmental field.
Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria: Under Articles 4,5,12, 13 and 14 of the Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria a 1999 regional requirement developed by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to fairly and effectively manage the resources of Lake Victoria.
Violating protected areas, such as World Heritage and Ramsar sites: For instance, EACOP’s proposed route will negatively impact a number of protected areas, including the Ngorongoro National Park, a World Heritage site, as well as the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Wetland System, a designated Ramsar site
Violating the Paris Agreement: As a fossil fuel project with significant estimated emissions, EACOP will also violate the Paris Agreement, of which China, Tanzania, and Uganda have signed.
Violating the free, prior, informed consent rights and best practices of Indigenous and affected communities along the EACOP right of way.
Violating Chinese guidelines for Green Development in Overseas Investment and Cooperation which obligate Chinese companies to “to conduct environmental assessments and due diligence for a proposed project in accordance with international practices to identify potential environmental risks” as well as “push for prevention of ecological risks”.
Violating Chinese guidelines for Ecological Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment Cooperation and Construction Projects which obligates Chinese entities to conduct biodiversity surveys, and if high biodiversity risks are identified, the company must justify its decision for the project site and consider alternative locations(Article 6).
Lastly EACOP further violates China’s List of Sensitive Sectors for Overseas Investment, published in 2018 by China’s National Development and Reform Commission by affecting Lake Victoria and likely breeding potential for water use and management related conflicts between Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo over usage of transboundary water bodies of Victoria and L .Albert
And it is further important to note that due to the violation of local laws and international norms, any Chinese bank involved in EACOP would likely violate key Chinese bank regulatory policies, such as the 2012 Green Credit Guidelines, 2014 Key Performance Indicators on Green Credit and the new 2022 Green Finance Guidelines The implication of this is that any Chinese bank that is found to be connected to CPP and the EACOP project would also fail to comply with relevant Chinese bank policies.
Accordingly, all the above injustices justify why dirty energy fossils promotion in East Africa, in Africa and anywhere in the world should be fought at all cost.
The Writer works with National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) and also coordinates the Oil Watch Africa (OWA) in Uganda.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline project has had numerous negative effects on the social, economic and environmental set up of the respective communities.
The women, however, have taken and continue to take the biggest share of these impacts.
Adverse impacts include the disruption of family and social life; the increased risks to health and safety, especially in terms of domestic and sexual violence; environmental degradation; as well as changing access to and control over land and livelihoods.
“We are experiencing high crime rates in our community such as land wrangles, we lack hospitals and there are high rates of school drop outs of children since they want to benefit from the project:, said Ms. Joy Kyalimpa, a resident of Kihoko Village in Buhimba Sub county in Kikuube District western Uganda.
Ms. Kyalimpa, a single mother of three, says that the implications for women and girls’ health and safety resulting from the in-migration of large numbers of mostly men seeking project employment and other opportunities have resulted into school drop outs and high crime rates in their communities.
Annet Kasoro from Kabaale village in Buseruka Sub County Hoima District says she has felt the pain of resettlement when her land was taken in 2017.
She says her community was promised electricity, water, and access to markets and while the electricity poles were built there is no electricity.
The women made the revelation on Community Green radio when they appeared for a program early June this year. The show was one of those that the radio organizes with a purpose of amplifying the voice of the vulnerable rural women, especially those affected by oil and gas related infrastructures like the EACOP.
Ssembatya Asuman the Nabulembeko parish LC2 chairperson in Kyankwanzi district , who appeared on the show with the women, appealed to government to expedite the process of compensation do help avert the suffering of the women and the communities in general. He promised to lobby government to provide more social amenities like water and health to the communities affected by the EACOP.
The chairperson commended Community Green radio for their continuous efforts in providing a voice to the voiceless.
STORY COMPILED BY JULIUS KYAMANYWA AND JOAN NANTEZA
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