Clergy petition govt over Bunyoro land
Religious leaders delivering food items that were donated to 200 families that were evicted from a piece of land in Rwamutonga village, Hoima District. PHOTO BY Francis Mugerwa
What you need to know:
The clerics under the Bunyoro Inter Religious Council (BIREC) on Thursday met with some communities affected by the oil extraction project
Hoima.
Religious leaders in Bunyoro have petitioned government to address the causes of land tensions in the oil-rich sub-region.
The clerics under the Bunyoro Inter Religious Council (BIREC) on Thursday met with some communities affected by the oil extraction project.
While some complained of being displaced from areas with commercially viable oil deposits, others said they had lost land to fraudulent speculators. The clerics said they were overwhelmed by the increasing land conflicts in the Albertine region.
The BIREC vice chairperson, Sheikh Musa Mabanja, asked government to protect land rights of the vulnerable people to enable them enjoy the benefits from the oil industry.
“Let the oil developments occur in peace and harmony. Let government address issues that are disturbing these people. We need each other,” said Sheikh Mabanja, who is also the Bunyoro District Khadi.
“We understand that you are in pain. There is no situation that is permanent. God moves people from grass to grace. We are optimistic that your concerns will be addressed,” Pastor Erasmus Mugisa told some of the evicted families.
More than 100 religious leaders from both the Islamic and Christian faith discussed the impact of oil developments on the livelihoods of the people they serve.
The conference and field work for the clerics were organised by Global Rights Alert (GRA), an NGO involved in oil and gas advocacy.
“This is not a cause of one person. It is a cause for us all to discuss how to ensure that oil developments and other related investments are undertaken within the law and considering the rights of the affected communities” said the Global Rights Alert programme officer, Ms Belinda Katuramu.
She said GRA supports religious leaders and the youth to understand the petroleum industry in order to participate meaningfully.
Fact box
• Land in the Albertine grabben appreciated in value after oil deposits were discovered in Bunyoro sub-region.
• More than 200 families were evicted from a chunk of land in Rwamutonga village in Bugambe Sub-county where a US firm wanted to set up an oil waste treatment plant.
• There are more than 800 families camped at Rwemisanga Catholic Parish in Kyangwali Sub-county after they were evicted from land being claimed by the Prime Minister’s Office atop the Albertine rift, which currently hosts refugees in Kyangwali Refugee Camp.
There are also separate cases of investors displacing residents in the Albertine grabben to set up oil related infrastructural projects.
