On March 6, 2026, TotalEnergies released the findings of an “independent assessment” of
land acquisition and resettlement for the Tilenga oil project located in the Albertine
Graben in western Uganda, the company presented the report as evidence that the
process had largely complied with national laws and international standards and that most
affected households had been fairly and adequately compensated.
Yet for many local communities in Buliisa, Kikuube and Hoima who affected by the Tilenga
project, the report risks obscuring a more painful reality.
Behind the statistics cited in TotalEnergies’ statements and the recently released
assessment report are stories of displacement, broken livelihoods, and families struggling
to rebuild their lives after losing the land that sustained them for generations.
Land, Faith, and Justice
In Uganda like many African countries, land is not merely property but it represents
heritage , identity and survival.
Whereas the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda guarantees the right to property
under Article 26 where it explicitly stipulates that
“No person shall be compulsorily deprived of property except where the
acquisition is necessary for public use and where prompt, fair, and adequate
compensation is paid prior to the taking of possession.”
Similarly, International Finance Corporation Performance Standard 5 (IFC PS5)widely
recognized as the global benchmark for land acquisition and resettlement requires that
“displacement be avoided where possible, that affected persons be
meaningfully consulted, and that those whose livelihoods are disrupted be assisted
in restoring or improving their living standards.”
But testimonies from communities affected by the Tilenga oil project suggest that these
principles were not consistently upheld.
Evictions and Contested Court Orders
Between 2020 and 2025, the government of Uganda sued over 100 Tilenga project affected
households in the High Courts seeking for court Orders to deposit contested compensation
monies with court and further Orders to evict the affected households from their land
without any further liability for compensation on government.
It must be noted that these were households who were not satisfied with the land acquisition process under the
Tilenga oil project and were actively challenging the same through available grievance
management mechanisms including court action.
Following the success of these suits by government, TotalEnergies has proceeded to evict
and take possession of land belonging to project-affected persons who to this day assert
that they have not received any compensation for their lost land and other property. They
report that construction works have continued for the project even as compensation
disputes remained unresolved.
From the perspective of affected households, this process undermined the constitutional
guarantee that compensation must precede displacement.
For many families, the consequences have been immediate and devastating.
“We Are Buying Food Now”
In Buliisa district, where the Tilenga Central Processing Facility and other project
infrastructure are being developed, land acquisition has dramatically altered how families
survive.
One affected resident explained how losing farmland disrupted a once self-sufficient
household stating that
“We are buying food something we had never done before this project.”
For farming families who depended on their land for both income and subsistence,
compensation alone has often proven insufficient to replace the land lost and rebuild a
functioning livelihood.
Another resident described how displacement for the Tilenga industrial area changed the
trajectory of their family’s life:
“We got married in 1995 and lived a self-sufficient life, but not anymore, thanks
to Total’s Tilenga project.”
These testimonies illustrate a reality that compensation payments alone cannot address:
the deep economic and social disruption caused when land is taken without ensuring that
functioning livelihoods can truly be rebuilt.
Livelihood Restoration Program in Question
TotalEnergies’ action plan accompanying the assessment report highlights livelihood
restoration programs including agricultural inputs, business training, and financial support.
But affected households say these measures have often been insufficient or poorly
adapted to their circumstances.
One displaced farmer described the stark transition from independence to dependence:
“Before the project, we had food. Now we must buy it.”
For vulnerable households including widows, elderly residents, and single mothers the
adjustment has been particularly difficult.
A widow from Buliisa district described the emotional toll of displacement in stark terms:
“I am in pain. A lot of it. I cry a lot, hoping the pain will cease, but it stays with
me.”
Many individuals also report that the trainings offered under the livelihoods restoration
program were rushed, insufficient and offered without due regard to a persons interests or
physical capacity to actually secure meaningful employment upon successful completion of
the training.
They add that the oil companies themselves including Total do not want to
employ those trained under the project’s livelihood restoration program.
Other reports criticize the program for failing to deliver promises made such as
distribution of farm inputs and livestock. A woman stated:
“I was promised a cow but later on, they only gave me grass to plant so that
the cows would have feeds but its been years and the cows have not been brought.
What I received from Total as my livelihood restoration package was grass.”
A Social Crisis Beyond Compensation
Communities affected by the Tilenga oil project also report the impacts of social
displacement which stretch beyond income. Since 2018 when displacements begun,
communities have documented rising social pressures liked to disruption of livelihoods
including: Family breakdown and marital conflict, School dropout among children,
Economic vulnerability among youth, Increased cases of teenage pregnancy, Psychological
stress and anxiety.
One elderly woman affected by the Tilenga project summarized the
human cost in deeply personal terms:
“Do you want to know what the Tilenga project’s legacy is in my life? A
broken family.”
For faith communities, such testimonies raise profound moral questions about the human
cost of extractive development.
Beyond Corporate Assessments
TotalEnergies has emphasized that more than 99 percent of affected households have
signed compensation agreements and that resettlement houses have been constructed.
But numbers alone cannot capture the full reality of displacement. It should be noted that
the local communities still recall irregularities such as lack of informed consent, threats
and intimidation during the process of assessment of property for acquisition and to this
day, there still exists hundreds of unresolved disputes relating to the irregular processes
involved in the Tilenga project land acquisition.
International human rights frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights require that
development projects respect human dignity, protect livelihoods, and ensure
that affected communities are not left worse off.
Yet for many families in the Tilenga project area, that standard has not yet been met.
Listening to the Voices of the Affected, The publication of the independent assessment should not mark the end of scrutiny over the Tilenga land acquisition process. Instead, it must open a deeper conversation about
justice, accountability, and the long-term well-being of communities affected by Uganda’s
oil projects.
True development cannot be measured solely in barrels of oil or kilometers of pipelines. It
must also be measured in whether families can live with dignity, whether communities
remain intact, whether the most vulnerable are protected and whether indeed it is
sustainable for the ecosystem in general.