Negotiations for the critical project reaching 1,443 kilometers to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania began four years ago.
In April, oil firms including Total Energies, Uganda, and her neighbor reached a deal, but no building has begun.
The pegs were set all along the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline to denote its location.
It is about 30 meters long. Villagers whose relatives have been buried here, ten kilometers from its beginning point in Kabaale in Hoima district, are frightened of new residences.
Communities are prevented from using their properties indefinitely.
The pipeline is damaging acres of farmland that is vital to the production of food and money.
Reverend Fred Musimenta is a cocoa and coffee farmer. However, a large portion of his property is now overgrown with nothing growing in it. According to civil society, the revealed remuneration is inequitable. “The disclosure for EACOP is so low that even if you are rewarded, you will be unable to purchase property in Kikuube or Hoima.” “You can’t acquire property of the same extent that EACOP paid for,” says Reverend Musimenta, a representative of impacted people.
Engagements with Project Affected Persons started in the Albertine area to prepare the ground for the commencement of construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, but have struck snags.
There are a number of obstacles to overcome, including the epidemic and absentee landlords.
The second reason is that “a lot of the PAPs desire to relocate from rural regions into a town or metropolis, and the value of land varies,” adds Gloria Sebikari, Head of Communication, Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
The government claims that it is assisting impacted individuals in resuming their livelihoods and that the economy will thrive once production resumes in 2024. However, opponents are calling for a re-evaluation and a speeding up of the compensation procedure.
Uganda has the potential to enter the ranks of premier oil and gas producers, with an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of oil.
The World Bank has referred to the landlocked nation as “the world’s hottest inland exploration frontier and the country to watch in the oil and gas area.”
