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61 CSOs want Ramsar Wetlands affected by EACOP and Tilenga projects in Uganda and Tanzania to be listed in the Montreux Record.

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3 years ago

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A screenshot of Montreux Record webpage.

By Witness Radio team

As the Africa Climate Summit kicks off in Nairobi-Kenya today, at least 61 African Civil Society organizations (CSOs) have petitioned the Secretary-General of the Ramsar Wetlands Secretariat of International Importance demanding that the Ramsar Wetlands, which have experienced adverse impacts due to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and Tilenga projects in Uganda and Tanzania, be included in the Montreux Record.

EACOP is a project implemented by TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). TotalEnergies is also the operator of the Tilenga project, with Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) as the partners.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands defines the Montreux Record as a register of wetland sites on the list of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution, or other human interference.

The petition call for the Ramsar secretariat intervention comes at a time when Kenya and the African Union are organizing a three-day (4th to 6th September) Africa climate summit themed Driving Green Growth & Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World. 

The Africa Climate Summit is aimed at addressing the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa. The Summit is a platform to inform, frame, and influence commitments, pledges, and outcomes, ultimately leading to the development of the Nairobi Declaration.

The CSOs are urging the Ramsar Secretariat should intervene and safeguard the Ramsar wetlands that have been affected, or could be affected, by oil activities in Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

CSOs’ action comes at a time when TotalEnergies, CNOOC, and the Ugandan government are developing the Tilenga and East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) projects. The Tanzanian government is a co-developer of the EACOP alongside TotalEnergies, CNOOC, and the Ugandan government.

It’s evident that part of the Tilenga upstream project in Uganda lies within the boundaries of the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar wetland, situated within the Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP).

Furthermore, the EACOP, a planned 1,443-kilometer pipe line is running from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, poised to impact more than 158 wetland sections in Uganda.

According to the petition, several wetlands connected to Ramsar-designated sites in Uganda encompass: Kibale/Bukoora, Kisoma, Kasemugiri, Jemakunya and Katonga. The Ramsar sites that connect to the aforesaid wetlands include the Sango Bay-Musambwa Island-Kagera (SAMUKA) Ramsar Wetland System, which has an economic value of USD 117 million per year (Sango Bay only) and Nabajjuzi Ramsar Wetland.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Congolese government launched an oil exploration licensing round for 27 oil and three (3) gas blocks in July 2022. Some blocks cover Virunga National Park, which contains a Ramsar site. The CSOs call for the Ramsar Secretariat to add Virunga National Park.

Dickens Kamugisha, a Director at the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) in Uganda says, “We are worried about the high pollution risk that the Tilenga and EACOP projects pose to Ramsar wetlands in Uganda, Tanzania, and the DRC. The Victoria Nile Crossing is within the boundaries of the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar site.”

He expressed his concerns about the substantial pollution risk presented by the Tilenga and EACOP projects to the Ramsar wetlands in Uganda, Tanzania, and the DRC. He emphasized that the Victoria Nile Crossing, situated within the confines of the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar site, is particularly worrying.

Mr. Kamugisha further emphasized that while TotalEnergies has made promises regarding biodiversity conservation during its oil exploitation activities within Ramsar wetlands and other biodiverse regions, it is challenging to trust these assurances. He cited instances in Uganda and Tanzania where they struggled to manage the impacts arising from compulsory land acquisition processes for the Tilenga and EACOP projects, along with difficulties related to flooding, as well as dust, noise, and light pollution caused by the Tilenga project in Buliisa district, Uganda.

Bantu Lukambo, representing, the Innovation pour le Développement et la Protection de l’Environnement (IDPE) in the DRC, says Virunga National Park, which doubles as a Ramsar site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is at a risk because the DRC government has been emboldened by Uganda’s example. Because the world looks on as oil exploitation goes on in MFNP, Lukambo adds, the Congolese government also developed the courage to put oil blocks covering Virunga up for exploration licensing in July 2022. Moreover, the construction of the EACOP will make oil exploitation in the DRC Albertine Graben more viable.”

Mr. Lukambo called upon international bodies, such as the Ramsar Secretariat, to act and engage with the Ugandan, Tanzanian, and Congolese governments to halt any oil exploitation plans that could affect Ramsar sites.

Ms. Patience Katusiime from the Environment Governance Institute in Uganda reveals that the mapping analysis shows that TotalEnergies is already constructing seven of the ten well pads that are to be located within MFNP and two of the pads are too close to the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar site.

“This is disheartening to see. The large swathes of the park have been pockmarked by oil exploration wells, roads, and other infrastructure. TotalEnergies often says that they are using a small part of the park but these new satellite images show that a combination of oil roads, bridges, oil feeder pipelines, and well pads could destroy the park.” Ms. Katusiime says.

She adds, “No well-meaning institution, including the Ugandan government, Ramsar Secretariat, financial institutions, export credit agencies, and others should support TotalEnergies in its oil exploitation misadventures in our national park. The above institutions should call on TotalEnergies to invest in renewable energy instead of oil projects.”

Mr. Richard Sekondo of the Organisation for Community Engagement (OCE) in Tanzania says, “Along the Tanzanian shore, two important Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) – the Pemba-Shimoni-Kisite site and the Tanga Coelacanth site – are at high risk from oil leaving the port at Tanga. These EBSAs host several Marine Protected Areas, as well as Mangrove Forest Reserves. The Pemba-Shimoni-Kisite site is known for its coral reefs, as well as the endemic coconut crab (Birgus latro), the largest land-living arthropod. These need to be protected.”

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Nabakooba orders probe into 1,500-acre land dispute

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11 hours ago

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September 18, 2026

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Lands minister Judith Nabakooba has ordered an investigation into people suspected of illegally converting nearly 1,500 acres of customary land in Nakapiripirit District into freehold land and obtaining a title without the consent of the local community.

Located in Kawach Sub-county, the disputed land is claimed by residents, who say it was given to them by government after part of the former Pian Upe Game Reserve was degazetted to resettle communities which had been displaced.

Local leaders say more than 12,000 households are affected by the dispute. Residents are against Nakapiripirit District Council speaker Richard Lochoto, who is alleged to have claimed ownership of part of the land and subsequently obtained a freehold title.

The dispute escalated after residents accused Mr Lochoto of working with members of the area land committee to process the land without consulting the community.
The minister, who visited the area to hear their grievances on September 7, handed the matter to the district security committee, headed by Resident District Commissioner Bessie Modesta Ajirong for investigation.

She directed the security team to collect all relevant information and submit a report within two weeks.
Ms Nabakooba said those found to have participated in the alleged conversion of the customary land into freehold should be arrested. She also ordered investigations into claims that signatures of local leaders were forged during the transactions.

“If there are people whose signatures were forged, we shall get a handwriting expert to establish whether they actually signed the transfer documents,” she said.
Ms Nabakooba said if investigations establish that the title was obtained fraudulently, the title will be cancelled and the land will be returned to the community.

She further directed the Ministry of Lands officials to assist residents in forming a Communal Land Association (CLA), to enable them to collectively register and manage the land.
“This will keep your land safe from grabbers. You will be in a position to decide on different land uses,” Ms Nabakooba said.

According to documents accessed by the Monitor, an approved land file for registration of a freehold title was forwarded to the commissioner land registration on November 4, 2021.
Another document of a freehold offer dated October 25, 2021, showed that the district land board had approved a grant of freehold to Mr Lochoto, following an application dated October 2, 2018.

The offer indicated that the land was intended for farming and required the applicant to meet costs related to surveying, registration and issuance of the certificate of title, as well as compensation of any sitting tenants.
The documents further show that Mr Lochoto stated that the land was vacant. The form also contained names and signatures of members of the Area Land Committee, who recommended the applicant to the District Land Board.

However, residents disputed the claim that the land was vacant, saying the community had been using and laying plans for the land before the freehold application was processed.
Mr Paul Longok Lochio, the Okudud Village chairperson, said the land was important to the community because residents had increasingly turned to farming, following improvements in security in Karamoja.

He said many residents previously depended largely on cattle and guns for their livelihoods, but the restoration of peace had enabled communities to embrace agriculture.
“Farming is a source of food for many families here. That is why land is very important to us,” Mr Longok said.
He accused land grabbers of taking advantage of illiteracy among residents to process land documents.

The Kawach Sub-county chairperson, Ms Angella Gabriel Aroor, who served as the chairperson of the area land committee at the time of the transaction, said the local leadership was not informed when the land was being surveyed.
“How can you survey land without our signatures? How can you go behind our backs and approve things which we were not informed about?” he asked.

The community now seeks a fresh survey by the Ministry of Lands to establish the actual size and boundaries of the disputed land.
Residents say they want to use part of the land to establish a community market, specifically for cattle traders.
Ms Esther Anyakun, the Nakapiripirit Woman MP and State minister for Karamoja Affairs, said government should protect this land because it was intended to benefit communities that had previously been displaced from other areas.

She said residents had petitioned the government over lack of land after people were evicted from areas occupied by government institutions, including prison land and other protected areas.
“This particular land was given to communities by government because many people were found to be squatters on prison land and had no where to go,” Ms Anyakun said.
Ms Anyakun warned that the land dispute had become tense, with rival groups allegedly threatening one another.

She urged the District Land Board to conduct physical verification before approving applications involving large chunks of land.
She advised the board to conduct ground checks whenever applications for 10 or more acres are submitted, to establish whether the land exists, whether it is occupied and whether there are competing claims.

The Nakapiripirit District Land Board secretary, Mr Jobs Ilukol, said the board had followed procedures required in processing Mr Lochoto’s application.
He said the board relied on records and minutes submitted by the Area Land Committee before considering the application.

Mr Ilukol said the District Land Board does not own or sell land and only processes applications based on documents submitted to it.
“The board’s job ends after approving or rejecting an application. The applicant is responsible for pursuing registration and obtaining a certificate of title,” he said.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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Lira siblings reclaim father’s land after bitter family dispute

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12 hours ago

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September 18, 2026

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Krispus Adula and his aunt, Betty Akello, plant maize in their garden in Teyao Village, Ogur Sub-county, Lira District, on September 15, 2026. PHOTO/BILL OKETCH.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, Crispus Adula dug into the soil with a hand hoe in Teyao Village, Alwala Parish, Ogur Sub-county in Lira District. Behind him, his aunt, Betty Akello, followed slowly, planting maize seeds in a garden the family had spent months fighting to reclaim.

The land is part of 12 gardens that once belonged to Adula’s late father, Sylvesto Obile, and was formally restored to Adula and his two sisters, Jacklyn Anam and Immaculate Auma, on September 15, 2026.

Mr Obile died in 2019, leaving his children still young. Their mother, Silvia Amony, left the family home shortly afterwards and died in 2022.

Following their father’s burial, members of the Abwor Bako Omorikidi Clan met and agreed to place the children in the custody of their cousin, Oyugi. He was also entrusted with the family’s property, including the 12 gardens, four cattle, chickens and household belongings.

“After being handed over to our cousin, I dropped out of school in Primary Three because he was not taking good care of us,” Adula told Monitor.

He said that after turning 17 in 2025, he asked clan members to allow him and his siblings to return to their former homestead and begin living independently.

“So, when I reached 17 years of age in 2025, I demanded that clan members allow my siblings and me to go back to our former homestead, where our father died and left us, to start living on our own,” he said.

The siblings left Oyugi’s home in January 2025, prompting clan leaders to convene a meeting to formally return the family’s property.

By then, however, the cattle and chickens had disappeared, while Oyugi had reportedly hired out most of the 12 gardens to tenants and collected payments from them.

“It was only the gardens remaining,” Adula said. “But out of the 12 pieces, our cousin had hired out most of them, and he had taken money from those people.”

Clan members ordered Oyugi to return the land, and he agreed, except for two gardens which he claimed he had sold to raise money for the children’s school fees.

The dispute escalated when the siblings went to reclaim the two gardens.

“Our cousin came with his wife and found us digging the land, and they threatened to kill one of my sisters with a panga (machete) he was holding,” Adula recalled.

“We overpowered them, took the panga, and ran to the clan leader, and eventually to the LC1 chairman of Teyao Village, who referred us to the police,” he added.

According to Prossy Akello, an attorney with Redeem International, Oyugi and his wife later returned and began digging the same garden despite the children having reported the matter to police.

Police at Ogur Central Police Station charged the couple with criminal trespass and threatening violence before referring the case to Redeem International.

The organisation, a nonprofit that works with local law enforcement to combat violence and exploitation against widows and orphans in developing countries, supported the investigation and prosecution through its Lira City Field Office.

“We supported the police to conclude the investigation they had initiated, and then we supported the complainants to follow up the case — ensuring they were always present in court, and that their witnesses were always transported to attend,” Ms Akello said.

Redeem International also helped Adula return to school.

“We usually don’t pay school fees or give scholarships,” Ms Akello said, “but in this case our social worker did a needs assessment, and we looked out for other partners within Lira. We were able to secure a scholarship for Crispus, and right now he’s studying at one of the technical schools in Lira.”

Police completed their investigation, and Oyugi and his wife were summoned, recorded statements and were later arraigned before Lira Magistrate’s Court.

“The accused pleaded not guilty, and we had to go for a full trial,” Ms Akello said. “Judgment was delivered in June.”

Because both sides claimed ownership of the two disputed gardens, Magistrate Jonathan William Wamimbi ruled that either party could pursue a civil claim in court to determine ownership.

In the meantime, the magistrate ordered that the children, who were already in possession of the land, continue using it.

“That is why the children are still using the land,” Ms Akello said. “We’ve come back [today, September 15, 2026] to officially inform the public that these children will remain in possession until any other person moves to court by way of a civil suit to claim ownership.”

Bosco Adwale, clan chief of Abwor Bako Omorikidi, called for reconciliation between the relatives.

“Now that the matter has been resolved, we’re asking the children to forgive their cousin brother and his wife, for peace to prevail,” he said.

Bosco Otim, LC2 chairman of Alwala Parish and a member of the Area Land Committee, said the dispute also exposed a wider challenge of undocumented land ownership in the area.

“In the entire Teyao Village, there is only one person who has processed a land title,” he said.

John Kalisto Apita, a clan leader, said the dispute had been complicated but called on residents to learn from the case.

“This was a very complicated case, but I thank God it has been put to rest. I ask members of the community to pick a lesson from this land dispute,” he said.

Lira Assistant Resident District Commissioner Richard Okello [centre] hands over a package donated by Redeem International to Krispus Adula after he was officially restored to his land in Ogur Sub-county on September 15, 2026. PHOTO/COURTESY.

Michael Odongo, LC3 chairman of Ogur Sub-county, urged families to follow the law when distributing property left behind by deceased relatives.

Oyugi, for his part, said he no longer holds a grudge against his cousins and attributed his actions to being misled by “the devil”.

Jane Acola of Redeem International’s Lira Field Office said the case reflected a wider challenge facing widows and orphans in northern Uganda, where many households depend on land for their livelihoods.

“The majority of our people in northern Uganda derive their livelihood mainly from agriculture, but for production to take place there must be land. When there is a land conflict, you cannot do anything,” she said.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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After weeks behind bars, six anti-oil activists have been granted cash bail by the LDC Court.

Published

1 day ago

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September 17, 2026

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By the Witness Radio team.

After more than two weeks in detention, six young activists challenging Uganda’s oil projects have secured cash bail, facing unlawful assembly charges.

All six belong to the Rooted in Resistance movement. On Thursday, September 17, they appeared before the LDC Magistrate’s Court in Kampala, where the court granted each cash bail of Shs300,000.

The activists granted bail are Isaac Mukiibi, Alphat Mawanda, Nicholas Mugezi, Innocent Opio, John Friday and Ronald Onyango.

Rooted in Resistance, formerly known as Students Against EACOP, has emerged as a steadfast force challenging the spread of fossil fuels in Uganda.

The activists were held in Luzira Maximum Security Prison after being arrested during demonstrations in Kampala against Uganda’s ongoing fossil fuel projects.

The activists were charged with unlawful assembly under the Penal Code Act.

Section 65(1) of the Act defines an unlawful assembly as a gathering of three or more people who intend to commit an offense, behave in a way that creates reasonable fear, or gather without a legitimate reason in circumstances likely to provoke others to breach the peace.

Under Section 66, taking part in an unlawful assembly is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

On August 31, 2026, police arrested the six during Kampala demonstrations, as Rooted in Resistance rallied against Uganda’s oil development.

Determined to be heard, the activists tried to deliver petitions to Parliament and TotalEnergies offices in Kampala, urging closer examination of oil projects and rejecting further fossil fuel investment.

During the demonstrations, police detained a total of 16 activists.

Police arrested ten at Parliament and charged them with public nuisance, while arresting six more at RR Pearl Tower One on Yusuf Lule Road, where TotalEnergies’ offices are located.

The six soon appeared before the LDC Magistrate’s Court, where they were remanded to Luzira Prison.

The activists say their resistance stems from concerns about the environmental and social fallout of oil development, especially its impact on communities, livelihoods, and the natural world.

They are urging a shift toward investing in renewable energy, rather than pouring more resources into fossil fuel infrastructure.

After the court granted bail, Rooted in Resistance celebrated the release of its members but condemned what it sees as ongoing attempts to silence their movement through arrests and charges.

“We will never be intimidated by the continued trumped-up charges and the brutal arrests being subjected to us,” the group said in a statement following the release on its X handle.

The group pledged to keep rallying for an oil-free economy and what it calls true economic freedom.

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Six other Anti-EACOP Activists remanded to Luzira over alleged unlawful assembly. Six cattlemen opposed to the Tilenga oil project-related forced land eviction have been granted bail but will remain in prison… Breaking: Ugandan Court jails eight Anti-EACOP activists as crackdown on dissent deepens. Latest: Buganda Road Court grants bail to Eleven Ugandan environmental activists after spending over a week on remand. 12 anti-Eacop activists decry delayed justice after spending 100 days on remand
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