By Ezrah Kashumbusha
KAMPALA, April 04, 2024 | In a press conference held at Hotel Africana today, 42 families hailing from Bulisa district voiced their growing frustration over what they perceive as the judiciary’s silence regarding their grievances. These families, embroiled in a legal battle with the Government, claimed to have journeyed from their homes to Kampala in hopes of meeting with Nobert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
Bamutuleki, one of the members representing the affected families, revealed that they had diligently reached out to various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, Judicial Service Commission, and Total Energies. However, their attempts to secure meetings to discuss their grievances proved futile as none of the parties responded to their letters.
“We are not happy with all these offices. We are aggrieved,” expressed Asimwe Julius, another affected person. “We wrote them letters requesting meetings on specific dates, but none of them wrote back to us. Based on the reception we received at the offices we visited, we don’t think that the Judiciary understands the implications of its actions on our families and our children.”
The legal dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by the Government of Uganda against the affected families in 2023. The families had been compensated by Total Energies after the company acquired land on behalf of the Ministry of Energy. However, the Government challenged the compensation. Court proceedings, presided over by Justice Jesse Byaruhanga Rugyema of the High Court in Hoima, concluded with a judgment against the households.
Dickens Kamugisha, the Executive Director of the African Institute of Energy Governance, weighed in on the matter, emphasizing the injustices faced by the affected families, primarily due to their socioeconomic status.
“As these families from the oil region suffer injustices today, all Ugandans should take a keen interest in their plight,” Kamugisha urged. “With courts setting bad precedents that allow the government to violate Article 26 and other human rights provisions of the Ugandan Constitution, it becomes imperative for us to stand in solidarity with these marginalized communities.”
