Uganda charges ‘nuisance’ anti-EACOP students after protest at EU Mission
Police in Kampala arrest anti-EACOP environmental activists from Students Against EACOP Uganda during a protest against the ongoing pipeline construction on February 26, 2025. PHOTO/SYLVIA KATUSHABE
What you need to know:
- The accused, mostly members of the Students Against EACOP Uganda group, including Shaffic Kalyango, Joseph Ssengozi and Namuddu Rahima, were arrested on February 26, 2025.
Kampala. A group of 11 environmental activists have been charged and remanded to Luzira prison following a protest at the European Union (EU) Mission against the ongoing construction of the $5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The accused, mostly members of the Students Against EACOP Uganda group, including Shaffic Kalyango, Joseph Ssengozi and Namuddu Rahima, were arrested on February 26, 2025.
Other accused include Gilbert Nayebare, Arafat Mawanda, Hillary Mangeni, Brilliant James Mufere, Desire Ndyamwesiga and Keisha Ali.
They were amongst over 25 other activists who marched to the EU Mission in Kampala, seeking to deliver a petition to the head of the EU Delegation, Jean Sadek.
The petition called on the EU to exert pressure on its member state France to stop supporting Total Energies, the largest shareholder of the pipeline project.
The youthful activists voiced strong opposition to the EACOP project, which they argue “will cause severe environmental and human rights damage.”
The 1443-kilometer pipeline, which will transport crude oil from Uganda to Tanzania, has been described as catastrophic by the activists, citing risks such as mass displacement, environmental degradation, and gender-based violence.
According to the charge sheet, the activists were “charged with common nuisance under Section 65(e) of the Road Acts Cap 346.”
The group’s actions disrupted business at the EU offices, leading to their arrest and remand, court heard.
EACOP, which is being developed by Total Energies, China National Oil Corporation (Cnooc), and other stakeholders, has faced continued criticism from environmentalists and human rights groups.
Kaye Yudah, the head of mobilization at Students Against Eacop Uganda told reporters that the EACOP project developers have perpetrated human rights abuses against the project-affected persons (PAPs).
“Currently, under the leadership of Total Energies, the project developers are acquiring approximately 5,172 hectares of land including 1,109 and 4,063 hectares in Uganda and Tanzania respectively. This land is being compulsorily acquired from over 86,000 people from over 13,292 project-affected households (PAHs) in Uganda and Tanzania,” he said.
The project is expected to start operating in 2027 but concerns over its social and environmental impact have prompted repeated protests in Kampala and different parts of Uganda.
Despite protests, the Ugandan government maintains that EACOP is essential for the country’s oil industry and is proceeding on schedule.
Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa has confirmed that over 1,100 kilometers of the pipeline have already been delivered to Tanzania, with construction continuing in both Uganda and Tanzania.
The protests came just a day after the East African Court of Justice began hearing an appeal from several civil society organizations challenging the legality of the project.
