The East African Crude Oil pipeline Company (EACOP) Ltd says only 203 persons will be physically displaced by the oil pipeline, adding that the biggest percentage of them has already been compensated.
“You must be concocting these figures in your head. For your information, EACOP does not go through Kiziranfumbi. Also, EACOP physically displaces only 203 Project Affected Persons. The process of compensating these people is ongoing,” Stella Amony, the EACOP communication officer said.
Amony was responding to claims by activists on social media who claimed that the pipeline had displaced over 7000 people in Kiziranfumbi sub county in Kikuube district.
In response, the pipeline company cleared the air, saying whereas the social media posts had inflated the total number of people affected by the project, even those affected are soon all being compensated.
EACOP also blasted the activists over misinformation.
“What sources are these when Kyangwali is not even crossed by EACOP!”
The EACOP Managing Director, Martin Tiffen recently told journalists that compensation of those affected by the pipeline is still ongoing with three quarters of the project affected persons so far paid off.
He said the process was in some parts delayed by the recent Ebola lockdown, especially in Mubende district which is one of the areas where the pipeline is to pass.
“It is a linear process and we have to physically access all the 170 villages along the pipeline but we have teams out in the field for the past eight months and will continue for the next four to five months to complete the exercise. In some places we either had to resolve grievances or do re-evaluation and field visits which have taken longer and in some areas, project affected persons have issues like death of the head of the family and the dependents need letters of administration. All these have delayed us but will soon be done away with,” Tiffen said.
Energy Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa last week confirmed that over 68% of the project affected persons have been compensated while resettlement houses for others are still under construction.
