Kingfisher oil project hasn’t delivered promised jobs and economic development in Uganda, says Brad Adams

A massive oil project in Uganda co-owned by French group TotalEnergies and China’s CNOOC is mired in controversy.

It’s not only become a major escalator of sexual violence, forced evictions and environmental damages, it is also a major threat to the global effort towards climate change mitigation.  

“The Ugandan Army has been deployed by the government to ‘protect’ the oil installations but has forcibly evicted the villages residents , often with a short or no notice or compensation,” Brad Adams, Executive Director of Climate Rights International (CRI) told Down To Earth (DTE) in an interview.  

CRI is an advocacy NGO that documents how human rights violations contribute to climate change, and how climate change contributes to human rights abuses. 

“An analysis by the Climate Accountability Institute concluded that the entire oil and gas project would produce around 379 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over 25 years,” he told DTE.

The $10 billion investment includes drilling for oil in the Lake Albert area in northwestern Uganda and building a 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) heated pipeline to ship the crude oil to Tanzania's Indian Ocean port of Tanga.

In an exclusive interview with DTE, Adams details the rights violations as a result of the project, and how the project itself is bad for a changing climate.

Following are excerpts of the interview: 

Q: What motivated you to take a stand against the East Africa pipeline project?

A: We got involved when we were asked by local activists and NGOs to work with them. They have done a fantastic job raising awareness about the Total investment but had not worked on the Chinese part of the project. I had experience from my previous job at Human Rights Watch in dealing with Chinese businesses.

Q. What are the main environmental concerns associated with the East Africa pipeline?

A. The development of this oil project, popularly known as the Kingfisher project, has also led to the degradation of the natural environment, including land, water, and air pollution. Fisherfolk report seeing oil slicks and dead fish in the lake, and a drastic reduction in fish in the Kingfisher area. Two whistleblowers who worked for the CNOOC subcontractor in charge of drilling activities told CRI that they were instructed to dump oil and chemical waste directly into the lake, as well as on land, where it subsequently flows into the lake.

Q. Can you discuss the potential long-term environmental consequences if the pipeline is completed?

A. An analysis by the Climate Accountability Institute concluded that the entire oil and gas project would produce around 379 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over 25 years. Peak annual emissions would be more than double the current annual emissions of Uganda and Tanzania combined. Like all new oil and gas projects, its development is incompatible with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C° warming target to ensure a livable planet. 

Q. There have been reports of human rights abuses, including sexual violence and forced evictions. Can you elaborate on these issues and their impact on local communities? 

A. The Ugandan army has been deployed by the government to “protect” the oil installations but has forcibly evicted the residents of villages, often with little or no notice and zero compensation. Interviewees described being ordered to leave, sometimes in just a few hours, fleeing with what little they could carry. Evictees who returned to their villages to try to collect belongings reported finding that their homes had been emptied and, in some cases, demolished. Other assets, such as goats and chickens, were missing.

While CNOOC is committed to adhere to International Finance Corporation Standards on Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement, the reality has been found to be polar opposite. Villagers who were offered compensation for their land but did not accept, either because they felt the compensation was inadequate or because they did not want to leave their land, told CRI that they were threatened and intimidated into selling land. 

Many of those living in the project area reported devastating impacts on their livelihoods, leaving them struggling to support their families and pay for education. 

Since the arrival of CNOOC, fisherfolk and fish sellers report that UPDF fishery and marine units regularly seize and burn boats that don’t comply with new regulations banning smaller boats, arrest fisherfolk, demand bribes for their release, and seize fish. Many allege that this is part of a campaign to drive people out of the Kingfisher area, claiming that the restrictions on boat, net, and fish sizes are much more aggressively enforced near the Kingfisher area than on other parts of Lake Albert.

Women described sexual violence resulting from threats, intimidation or coercion by soldiers in the Kingfisher project area. CRI received reports of sexual violence by managers and superiors within oil companies operating at Kingfisher, including one involving a CNOOC employee.

Within the Kingfisher area, the presence of such a large and active Ugandan military deployment has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in which many are hesitant to speak out. Those who are vocal can face harsh repercussions. In June 2024, Stephen Kwikiriza, an environmental observer with the Environmental Governance Institute, was abducted, interrogated, beaten, and disappeared for several days. Kwikiriza (his real name) had documented the environmental devastation and human rights violations suffered by his community from the Kingfisher project. According to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Kwikiriza was one of 11 campaigners protesting against oil projects who were targeted by the Ugandan police, military or government officials over a two-week period in early June. 

In recent months, Ugandan authorities have engaged in a new wave of arrests and repression against Ugandans opposing Kingfisher and the wider EACOP project. On July 17, 2024, a group of activists instituted legal action against the Attorney General, as well as several police officers. The activists alleged that they have compiled a chronology of incidents over the last three years in which they accuse the authorities of torture, beating, detention without trial beyond 48 hours, and violation of their rights to freedoms of assembly, speech, expression, and movement.

Q. What measures, if any, have been taken by the project developers to address these human rights concerns?

A. None! They just deny without even bothering to investigate the allegations.

Both the Kingfisher project and a second, larger oil development project, the Tilenga project, are jointly owned by TotalEnergies), with a 56.67 per cent stake; CNOOC, with 28.33 per cent; and the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), at 15 per cent. The Tilenga project is operated by TotalEnergies. In July, Climate Rights International sent letters to CNOOC, TotalEnergies, and the Uganda National Oil Company outlining the allegations made by residents of the Kingfisher project area but received no replies.

Q. How do you respond to claims that the pipeline will bring economic development and job opportunities to the region?

A. Community members who have sought jobs with CNOOC’s subcontractors report poor treatment including excessive hours, low wages, hazardous working conditions, failure to provide employment contracts and pay promised wages, and demands for bribes to obtain jobs, some of which are in violation of Ugandan law.

One of the main complaints from local people is that it has not brought promised jobs and economic development. For many it has brought impoverishment as they have been kicked off their land and prevented from fishing in the area. Many people say they can only afford one meal per day and sometimes not even that.

Q. What actions has your NGO taken to oppose the pipeline project?

A. We have published our report and are doing advocacy with companies and governments to prevent further financing and insurance for the Kingfisher project.

Q. How can individuals and other organisations support your efforts against the pipeline?

A. By supporting #StopEACOP and the many brave activists in Uganda opposing the entire project.

Q. What alternative solutions do you propose for sustainable development in the region?

A. Instead of investing in more fossil fuels, which are causing global warming and misery to people around the world, take the same money and invest in clean renewable energy. These are the industries of the future and will create good jobs while keeping the profits in the country instead of going to French and Chinese companies.

Q. How does the East Africa pipeline project fit into the larger context of global climate action?

A. We oppose all new fossil fuel projects. The world has more than enough online to provide the energy needed while we move to a renewable energy economy. Fossil fuels are literally killing our children’s futures.