Tuesday June 13th, 2023 saw the start of the transfer of 105 resettlement homes and titles to Project Affected Persons (PAPs), or individuals whose primary residence was impacted during the identification of land for the construction of the Tilenga Project facilities and associated infrastructure in Buliisa District. This was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
The 105 homes, erected as part of the 205 homes total, will have 2, 3, or 4 bedrooms (depending on the size of the original building), a sitting space, a veranda, an outdoor kitchen, a solar-powered system, a 5,000-liter rainwater harvesting tank, and a VIP latrine.
The buildings are situated on plots of land that the affected households have chosen, and they are built to survive for at least 25 years before major renovations are necessary. The remaining 100 homes will be finished and turned over by the end of August 2023.
Total Energies EP Uganda has helped all recipient households obtain free-hold land titles, and they are all supported throughout the relocation and acclimatization process, including participation in the different livelihood restoration programs. Additionally, they received psychosocial and transitional support. Joint spousal engagement is emphasized specifically throughout the entire process as well.
Mr. Philippe Groueix, General Manager of Total Energies EP Uganda, gave a speech at the handover ceremony, which was held in a Kirama Village in the Kigwera Sub-county of Buliisa District. He said, “The handover we are witnessing today as well as the activities we are undertaking for livelihood restoration are enshrined in one of our sustainable development pillars focused on people’s well-being. Ultimately, we would like to contribute towards creating a positive impact and shared value with the people affected by the project and those living in the vicinity of our activities.”
Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, presided over the transfer event. She stated that a total of US$12,760,036 was spent on PAP compensation, leaving US$3,911,620 for any unpaid compensation. Additionally, she pushed those who got money to use and invest it profitably.
“The Project is targeting to construct a total of 235 replacement houses for Project Affected Persons (PAPs) in the three districts of Buliisa (193), Hoima (40) and Kikuube (2). So far, 130 houses have been completed for PAPs across all Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs), with 30 houses for RAP1 and 100 houses covering Resettlement Action Plan (RAPs) 2-5. All houses will be handed over with land titles. More than 65 sites are currently at various levels of construction progress within the three districts,” she said.
The Minister continued by saying that the government pledged to carry out Uganda’s oil and gas projects while preserving the environment and improving people’s quality of life.
“We shall sustainably exploit Uganda’s natural resources for social and economic transformation,” Hon Nankabirwa said.
According to Nankabirwa, under RAPs 2-5, 83% of the necessary project land was accessed for the other Tilenga development projects, and 95% (4,695 out of 4,930) of the PAPs were compensated. Despite numerous negotiations and mediation sessions, 10 PAPs have rejected the compensation packages agreed by the Chief Government Valuer, leaving some land parcels unavailable to the project.
Second, despite numerous media advertisements and posters in the neighborhoods, six PAPs cannot be located or contacted. Third, there are twenty-seven land ownership conflicts among the PAPs.
But she said that her ministry would keep making the necessary arrangements to make sure that all of these land pieces were purchased for the Project in a timely manner. She did, however, issue a warning that the RAP exercise would not be finished until June or July 2023.
The total amount of land needed for the project is roughly 1,850 Hectares (4,571 Acres), of which 99 Acres are already leased to the company (including camps), 3,543 Acres must be acquired through private acquisition, 736 Acres must be acquired through public land acquisition, and 195 Acres must be reserved as a contingency.
Over 270 students from the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Pakwach, Masindi, and Nebbi have benefited from the local scholarship program over its ten-year history, which was also celebrated at the ceremony by TotalEnergies EP Uganda.
The recipients receive assistance in obtaining O-level and A-level education with a focus on science at the best institutions in the nation.
Over 400 wells will be drilled as part of the Tilenga project, which also includes a Central Processing Facility (CPF) with a daily processing capacity of 190,000 barrels of oil. Additionally, the project will feature a 110 km, 24-inch feeder pipeline from the CPF to distribute refined crude to Kabaale, Hoima District. The feeder pipeline sizes must be sufficient to accommodate production tie-ins from upcoming discoveries.
