Six anti-EACOP protestors arrested in Kampala

Police on Monday arrested six environmental activists who stormed TotalEnergies' offices in Kampala, allegedly to submit a petition against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

The petitioners were demanding that the project be stopped and that the company take on and invest in renewable initiatives which are environmentally friendly.

Under their umbrella body, Rooted in Resistance, the half dozen protestors include Mr Albert Oguti, Julius Kagonde, Joseph Epwaat, Paul Ilukor, Ronney Nayumba and Erick Ssekande.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesigye, told this publication that the youth who participated were mobilising to participate in activities likely to incite violence and disrupt public order.

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“The Police at Wandegeya have arrested six students in connection with a planned unlawful demonstration within Kampala, they will be accused of mobilising and preparing to participate in activities likely to incite violence and disrupt public order,” he said.

Police say the six, who are all students, will be arraigned before the court when their files are ready.

These are part of over 50 youth who mobilised on Monday afternoon and marched to TotalEnergies Head offices along Yusuf Lule Road; however, they were shortly intercepted by the security team and some dispersed.

According to their petition letter, the protestors accuse TotalEnergies of continued involvement in the construction and development of the Tilenga and EACOP Projects, which they claim blatantly contradict industrial trends.

It further stated that Uganda is already facing a severe debt crisis worsened by the country`s oil-induced borrowing spree, and the environmental and social costs associated with the oil projects could precipitate an economic disaster for Ugandans.

“The projects promise only to deepen the crisis of climate collapse, exacerbating droughts, floods, and extreme weather events that disproportionately affect African communities, who have contributed least to the climate crisis but suffer its worst impacts,” the petition reads.

“Before the construction of these oil projects, thousands of people have been displaced from their ancestral lands with no or inadequate compensation under your land acquisition, resettlement and livelihood restoration program, with reports emerging of property under valuation for the oil-affected communities in Uganda,” the petition reads in part.

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Speaking at Wandegeya Police after the denial of so many suspects' Police bond, their lawyer, Counsel Doreen Namala, who sought bond for them from Wangdeya Police Station, protested the denial, saying the police were infringing on the accused`s constitutional rights.

“We tried to secure a bond for them, but it wasn't successful without a clear reason. They have not been presented to the court at the moment,” she stated.

“It’s unfortunate in Uganda we have some people arrested on murder, corruption, and embarrassment cases, and they are given bail and bonds that very day or the next day, but students who are exercising their rights can be arrested for more than 8 months, without any bail,” she said.

Last Friday, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate's Court sentenced eight environmental activists to 11 months in prison on charges of public nuisance.

About EACOP

This is a crude oil export infrastructure that will transport Uganda's crude oil from Kabaale-Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga in Tanzania for export to the international market.

Upon completion, the 1443 km (296 km in Uganda and 1,147 km in Tanzania) major expert systems will have the capacity to transport 246,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

In March 2025, EACOP officials revealed that the project had reached 55 percent progress, projecting that by 2026, the pipeline may start transporting oil from Hoima to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.

The EACOP project is estimated to cost around $5 billion, handled by a combination of companies like TotalEnergies, CNOC, UNOC, and TDC, contributing about $2 billion in equity and raising another $24 billion - $3 billion in external debt.