Conservationists say clearance of Bugomo reserve for plantation is blow to biodiversity and country’s reputation on wildlife.
Conservationists have branded a decision by the Ugandan high court to allow swathes of forest to be cleared for a sugarcane plantation “an unforgivable shame for all people”.
Work to clear 900 hectares (2,223 acres) of Bugoma Forest Reserve, in Hoima, began last month after the court ruled that the land, leased by Hoima Sugar Company Ltd, lay outside the protected area of the forest. The court ordered the National Forestry Authority (NFA), which manages it, to vacate the land and remove the military officers who had been guarding it. The NFA has appealed the decision.
The land was leased to Hoima Sugar, which has a 70% shareholding in Kinyara Sugar Works in neighbouring Masindi district, in 2016 for 99 years by Solomon Iguru Gafabusa, king of the ancient kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara. He said the leased area was ancestral land and not part of the protected forest.
Rajasekaran Ramadoss, agriculture manager at Hoima Sugar Company, said the proposed sugarcane plantation would “improve the standard of living of those people” in the area.
In the environmental and social impact assessment report submitted with its application for a sugar plantation, the company said it would also build schools and a hospital, develop an ecotourism project that comprised an eco-lodge, walking trails and a campsite, and replant the degraded area.
But Costantino Tessarin, chairperson of Association for the Conservation of Bugoma Forest, said: “Whether the land falls inside the boundaries of the gazetted reserve or not … is a merely sterile exercise for primary school students.
“Because the reality is that we are talking about [an] ecosystem of international importance that cannot be discussed in parts and pieces,” he said. The decision to go ahead with clearing the forest was “an unforgivable shame for all people of common sense, not only in Uganda but in the world”.
Conservation groups and forestry experts have long warned that destroying even just a part of the forest’s diversity would lead to a loss of fauna and flora, and affect the water levels of the River Nile.
“We consider this plan not only detrimental to the Ugandan government plans to develop and invest in tourism in Bugoma Forest, but to the overall fragile and rich ecosystem [which] will simply be irreparably compromised,” said Tessarin, who is also director of Uganda Jungle Lodges and owner of Bugoma Jungle Lodge.
Onesmus Mugyenyi, coordinator of the Forest Governance Learning Group, an informal alliance of 10 African and Asian states that advocate for the protection of forests, said investors in ecotourism and conservation “have much to complain about and need the protection of their investment”.
“Moreover, the development of ecotourism activities will have a broader impact on the livelihood of the people in the area.”
The reserve, which covers 41,144 hectares, is the largest remaining block of natural tropical forest along the Albertine Rift Valley and adjacent to Budongo Forest and Semuliki National Park. It plays an enormous role in preserving wildlife migratory corridors.
It is home to 23 species of animals, including an estimated 550 highly endangered chimpanzees, Ugandan mangabeys (an endemic primate), 225 species of birds and 260 species of trees.
According to the survey by the ministry of tourism and antiquities in 2019, Bugoma, which lies about 250km north-west of the capital, Kampala, is due to have its status upgraded from a reserve to a national park, which would put it under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Sugarcane is not suitable as a buffer zone around protected rainforest, campaigners say. Photograph: Majority World/REX
“Sugarcane is not only environmentally unfriendly in general, but in particular when it becomes the buffer zone of a tropical rainforest,” said Tessarin.
He said sugarcane was not the best crop to use as a buffer zone around a protected area because it doesn’t mix well with wildlife. “There are crops and landscapes which are more appropriate in buffer zones areas where there are chimpanzees and … almost 10 species of primates, plus other wildlife,” he said.
Forest have shrunk from 24% of Uganda’s total land area in 1990 to 9% in 2015, because of land disputes and deforestation, according to State of Uganda’s Forestry report.
“To throw away Bugoma would be to throw away rain, biodiversity,” said Cathy Watson, head of programme development at World Agroforestry. “It would also be to throw away Uganda’s reputation on the climate, forest and wildlife front.”
Conservationists have launched a social media campaign, “Save Bugoma Forest”, and are petitioning President Yoweri Museveni to intervene.
“It is necessary that the government of Uganda and the national institutions intervene to resolve a matter that cannot be just a legal battle in court and cannot be only about boundaries of proposed land titles,” said Tessarin.
Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere of Uganda’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala has decried the rising cases of land grabbing in the East African nation, describing the situation as “a matter of growing concern” that even threatens Church property.
Speaking during celebrations marking the Centenary of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga, on Sunday, October 26, Archbishop Ssemogerere appealed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who graced the occasion, to take concrete action to curb the increasing cases of illegal land acquisition.
“Your Excellency, we wish to humbly draw your attention to a matter of growing concern in our country, the problem of land grabbing,” he said.
Archbishop Ssemogerere lamented that land grabbers have targeted land legally allocated to the Church for pastoral and social development purposes.
“There are those landgrabbers who don’t fear the wealth of God,” he said referring to Church land given “by generous people, or allowed by the government for the Church to use, land given to us by the Kingdom of Buganda.”
He warned that such actions have far-reaching consequences, noting that some of the affected properties have long served communities through schools, health facilities, and development projects.
“This challenge affects not only Church land but also property belonging to other institutions and private citizens,” he said, and added, “In some cases, land that has served communities for generations is being encroached on or taken illegally.”
The Local Ordinary of Kampala Archdiocese since his installation in January 2022 appealed to President Museveni-led government to take decisive action against land grabbers, stressing that protecting land rights safeguards not only property but also vital services that institutions provide to Ugandans.
“We therefore appeal to your continued leadership and intervention so that this issue can be addressed firmly and justly,” he told President Museveni.
Referring to Galatians 6:9, the Ugandan-born Catholic Church leader encouraged the country’s national leaders to persevere in promoting justice and the common good.
“As Scripture reminds us, let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not give up,” he said.
In his October 26 remarks, Archbishop Ssemogerere, who began his Episcopal Ministry in August 2008 as Bishop of Uganda’s Kasana-Luweero Catholic Diocese emphasized the need to safeguard peace as the country approaches its next general election in January 2026.
He emphasized that politics should be a platform for service and that “elections should never divide us but rather strengthen our commitment to justice, respect, and unity.”
Archbishop Ssemogerere added, “Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is the fruit of justice, truth, and mutual respect.”
Citing Pope Francis’ November 2013 Apostolic Exhortation on on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world, Evangelii Gaudium, he reminded politicians and religious leaders in the East African nation that leadership is a vocation of service.
“Politics, though often degraded, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good,” he said
Reflecting on the St. Mary’s Rubaga Cathedral’s 100-year history, the Ugandan Catholic Archbishop described it as a “symbol of faith, endurance, and God’s abiding presence among His people.”
He noted that the Cathedral has stood “through colonial times, independence, and social change” as a beacon of evangelization and unity.
“This sacred place has stood as a witness to Uganda’s journey of faith, from the first seeds planted by the early missionaries to the flourishing Catholic community, we see today,” he said, and continued, “Through it all, God has been faithful.”
Archbishop Ssemogerere further noted that the Cathedral “has been a refuge for prayer, a cradle of vocations, and a beacon of evangelization.”
“May it continue to inspire holiness, unity, and love for God and country,” said Archbishop Ssemogerere in his remarks during the October 26 centenary celebration.
The week of 20th September 2025, Uganda hosted the Renewable Energy Conference 2025 to discuss and advance the clean energy agenda. Its purpose this time was to foster collaboration among the government, the private sector, and development partners to transform energy systems. Still, the development partners are calling on the government of Uganda to balance conservation and livelihoods.
The Renewable Energy Conference (REC) 2025, which focused on clean cooking to meet the national target of 50% access by 2030, provided an opportunity for representatives of the German and European Union embassies to underscore the importance of balancing environmental conservation and livelihoods.
The German Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Matthias Schauer, stated that “transforming systems for livelihoods and conservation” are essential elements in the renewable energy sector.
“The theme, Transforming Energy Systems for Livelihoods and Conservation, I consider these two elements to be essential: livelihoods and conservation. Without energy, it is tough to establish livelihoods, but without conservation, you will be destroying them again sooner or later. They need to be well-balanced.” Matthias Schauer stated
He says, “At the same time, they strengthened local capacity, promoted innovative financing mechanisms to expand access to clean energy. Our partnership reflects a shared vision, unlocking Uganda’s potential, and that potential is huge. Fostering inclusive growth and ensuring that the benefits of energy transformation reach all communities, including remote and refugee hosting areas.” Matthias Schauer said.
He said that Germany’s goal is to advance access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and clean energy for all, in line with Sustainable Development Goal No. 7, while fostering local ownership.
The European Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Jan Sadek, on the other hand, emphasized that “the moment has come to move from dialogue to action. We are confident that Uganda will continue to lead by example, and Team Europe is ready to contribute to turning the insights from this conference into tangible impacts.” This urgent call to action should resonate with all stakeholders, highlighting the pressing need for change.
Jan also stated that, “The time for coordinated and accelerated investment in solutions to phase out the unsustainable use of firewood and charcoal is now. Together, we have a real opportunity to make a significant difference, and the EU is committed to contributing its part.” This commitment from the EU should reassure all stakeholders about the support they can expect.
While the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu, stated that this year’s energy conference discussion has deepened their collaboration and collective understanding of what it truly means to transform energy systems from a livelihoods and conservation perspective.
As the Transition journey continues, Nankabirwa expressed confidence that through the performance reviews of the Ministry’s sustainable energy and extractive development programs, they have collectively assessed progress made under Development Plan 3 and have identified clear pathways for accelerated implementation of National Development Plan 4.
The StopEACOP Coalition has issued a warning to shareholders and bondholders of TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), urging them to reconsider their funding of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) due to the companies’ growing self-financing of the project that exposes shareholders and bondholders to gross financial and reputational risks.
In a public statement released alongside its Finance Risk Briefing Update No. 6, the coalition revealed that the two energy giants have quietly decided to increase their financial commitments to the $5.6 billion pipeline, stepping in as lenders to their own project. This move reflects the collapse of external financing for EACOP amid widespread rejection by international banks and insurers due to the project’s environmental, human rights, and climate risks. These risks include environmental, human rights concerns, and climate-related issues.
According to EACOP Limited’s 2024 annual report, TotalEnergies and CNOOC have provided additional facilities through shareholder loans to fund what remains of the construction budget.
Initially projected to cost up to $3.5 billion and intended to be financed with 40% equity and 60% debt, the project’s cost has since increased to a whopping $5.6 billion. The two companies have already injected roughly $2.8 billion in equity and secured around $755 million in external loans, leaving a debt gap of approximately $2 billion. Currently, TotalEnergies and CNOOC are moving to cover that shortfall themselves, bringing their total funding to about $4.8 billion, or 86% of the project’s total cost, more than triple what they had initially planned to use.
“This is a shocking example of developers financing their own controversial project after being rejected by global financial institutions. It shows that the EACOP is no longer financially viable without corporate self-funding and that investors in these companies are now directly financing one of the most destructive fossil fuel projects in the world,” Reads part of the statement.
The coalition argues that by turning inward for financing, TotalEnergies and CNOOC have transferred financial, legal, and reputational risks to their own shareholders and bondholders.
“Now, to keep the project alive, TotalEnergies and CNOOC are turning inward, relying on their own balance sheets and, by extension, your capital. The situation increases your financial risk, deepens your exposure to the project’s growing controversy, and links your investment portfolios even more directly to the environmental destruction, human rights abuses, and climate chaos that EACOP represents,” the statement says.
“This means that institutional investors holding TotalEnergies or CNOOC securities are now directly linked to the project’s growing controversies, from land grabs and community displacement to the threat it poses to climate goals.”
EACOP is a 1,443-kilometer pipeline stretching from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian coast, which has faced heavy opposition since its inception. This opposition is due to threats to biodiversity and the environment, as well as to people’s displacement among others.
It is from this that the STOPEACOP coalition is calling for active engagement with TotalEnergies and CNOOC to jointly address human rights and environmental risks and identify a time-bound escalation strategy, where investors publicly set deadlines for the companies to act, backed by credible consequences such as voting against board members or divesting from the companies altogether.
“We are therefore calling upon the shareholders and bondholders of TotalEnergies and CNOOC to act with integrity and foresight, in line with their responsibilities under the UNGPs and the OECD Guidelines, to avoid contributing to severe human rights and environmental impacts associated with the operations of your portfolio companies,” reads the statement.
In the last three years, over 20 major banks and 23 insurers have publicly ruled out support for the EACOP project, citing misalignment with global climate targets and reputational concerns.
The Finance Risk Briefing shows that 43 banks have ruled out financing for the 1,443 km pipeline since the project began.
Governments and international organizations have also faced mounting pressure to intervene, as civil society movements in Uganda, Tanzania, and abroad intensify opposition to its implementation due to its adverse effects.
