By Witness Radio team.
The committed environmental activists, who steadfastly advocated for halting the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Project, have been granted cash bail after a week-long stint in prison.
Court led by Her Worship Jalia Basajjabalaba granted each environmental activist a cash bail of 100,000 Uganda Shillings.
The accused were arrested on February 26, 2025, as they were marching to deliver a petition to the European Union Delegation at their headquarters in Kampala, Uganda.
Upon arrest, they were arraigned before the Buganda Road Magistrates Court and charged with common nuisance, a legal term often used to describe actions that cause inconvenience or harm to the public or a section of the public.
The eleven include Shafic Kalyongo, Joseph Ssengozi, Namuddu Rahima, Gilbert Nayebare, Arafat Mawanda, Hillary Mangeni, Brilliant James Mufere, Desire Ndyamwesiga, and Keisha Ali.
The environmental activists wanted the EU delegation to use its influence over France, one of its member states, to stop supporting Total Energies in the EACOP project. The project has become a source of frustration for the Ugandan and Tanzanian communities.
Total Energy and Other shareholders, including the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, spearheaded the construction of the EACOP, which stretches 1,445 kilometers from Hoima, Uganda, to the port of Tanga, Tanzania.
The protesters emphasized that the pipeline project, which involves extensive land clearing and potential oil spills, will cause significant environmental damage and has already destroyed people’s livelihoods, particularly those dependent on agriculture and fishing in the affected areas.
The activists will appear in court for their April 8, 2025 trial.
