Ten years later: Buvuma oil palm project fails to take off

When government unveiled a programme to extend oil palm growing to the island district of Buvuma in 2008, there was jubilation, excitement and high hopes by the residents that expected to tap into the project opportunities.

However, the project has failed to take off.
Ms Mariam Nakato, 50, a resident of Buwangwe Village in Busamuzi Sub-county, quickly surrendered her seven acre-piece of land hoping to be employed on the oil palm fields and factories.
But a decade later, the project has failed to take off.

“I gave away my land six years ago in anticipation that the project would take off soon as promised, but there is nothing on ground yet we are not allowed to utilise our land whose value has gone up,” She says.

Ms Nakato claims that the government compensation of Shs50m that she had been promised for her land has not been paid.

“Despite undervaluing our land, even the money I was promised as compensation has never been wired to my account,” she adds.

Like Ms Nakato, Mr David Katuntu, 37, a resident of Bajjo Village in Busamuzi Sub-county, says he is not satisfied with the compensation.

Although he surrendered five acres of his land to support the project, he says he was only compensated for three acres where he got Shs26 million.

“I don’t know whether I will be paid the balance or not. I complained to the valuers but they never responded to my queries and that is why we had to seek court redress,” he says.

What the government established on ground is a demonstration garden at Kawafu Village in Buvuma Town Council.

Govt role
The project, a component of the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP), is being supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

It is implemented by Oil Palm Uganda Ltd, a subsidiary of Bidco Uganda, which manages oil palm plantations on Bugala Islands in Kalangala District.

Mr Ronald Wasswa, a resident of Namujiri Village in Busamuzi Sub-county, says although he was fully compensated for his 20 acre–piece of land and they cleared land, it has since become bushy and currently habours wild animals, which are a threat to their lives and livestock.

“The land that was cleared is now bushy and home to stray dogs that are terrorising our animals such as goats. So, should we go back to our land and start cultivating as they (government) sort out themselves or they are planning something soon?” Mr Wasswa asks.

Busamuzi Sub-county chairperson Charles Aisu says they have already secured about 100 acres where government can put the oil palm factory and another 200 acres for nursery beds.

Mr Hussein Ngobi Dhamuzungu, a youth councillor at Busamuzi Sub-county, says residents had anticipated the project to create jobs opportunities but this is not forthcoming.

“Residents surrendered their land expecting to get jobs from the project but it is now more than five years and the land is still idle,” Mr Dhamuzungu says.

Ms Specioza Nakyeyune, a resident of Bukwaya Village, who had hope of benefiting from the project as an out grower, says she has reserved her piece of land for close to four years waiting to be given seedlings and fertilisers in vain.

“We don’t really know what is going on. I was registered as an out grower after an assurance that the project was to kick off soon, but nothing is taking place, I have now lost hope,” she says .

Not prepared
Mr Ronald Wanda, the vice chairperson of Buvuma District, says what is on the ground indicates that the project implementers are not prepared to start the project as they are still transferring land titles to Uganda Land Commission, a government entity.

“They (project implementers) are not prepared yet. The transfer of land tittles is still ongoing and they will have to lease the same land to the investor. On top of that, there are also some people who have not yet been compensated,” he says.

Currently, government has cleared and handed over 7,000 hectares which are free of squatters to the investor (Bidco), according to Ms Masaba.

The project targets 10,000 hectares and 6,500 will be used by the project and the remaining 3,500 hectares will be utilised by out growers.
Oil palm growing will mainly be carried out in the sub-counties of Buwoya, Busamuzi, Nayirambi and part of Buvuma Town Council.

After touring the land already purchased by government in February, the Agriculture minister, Mr Vincent Ssempijja, had assured residents in Buvuma that the long awaited oil palm project was to kick off in April – something that didn’t happen.

Early last year, legislators on the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture advised government to swiftly implement the oil palm project, warning that any further delays would give unscrupulous individuals a chance to grab the land earmarked for the project.

The MPs also directed the project manager to quicken the process of compensating the PAPs, who refused to vacate their bibanja (plots), claiming their property was undervalued.

However, they urged the project implementers to ensure that there is no encroachment on the existing forests and wetlands during the implementation of the project.

Govt speaks out

The VODP project manager, Ms Connie Magomu Masaba, blames the delay on a number of factors including late demarcation of acquired land, preparing nursery beds and resolving outstanding land disputes.

She says some village leaders have complicated the land acquisition process by conniving with residents to demand exorbitant compensation for their land while others are hoodwinked not to vacate even when they had been compensated.

“Land acquisition has been our biggest hurdle, the process has taken long and now we have sufficient land of about 5,000 hectares with land tittles to begin the project. We are about to start the nursery beds and also address the remaining environmental concerns. Before the end of this year, they will have started because we are in touch with the investors and they are also working on recruiting their staff,” she says.

On the issue of those who claim to have not been compensated, Ms Masaba says: “The project is going to start as we solve those small issues that have remained such as compensation, but I assure you that we are starting.”

Ms Masaba says the project will create job opportunities and they are going to recruit mostly women to work in nursery beds that will soon be opened.