Buvuma: Over 1,500 affected by oil palm project

BUVUMA, January 22, 2026 –- The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF] has begun compensating more than 1,504 people displaced by the National Oil Palm Project [NOPP] in Buvuma district.

The ministry requires approximately Shs 28 billion to compensate all individuals affected by the project, which covers a vast area of the district.

As part of the initial phase of payments, compensation was recently launched in eight villages in Buvuma, including Bubembe, Buwanga, Mbekete, Bwaka, Kachanga, Bukalabati and Ndayiga.

“Many of us had doubts about the compensation, but now we are satisfied. The money was sent to my account, and with the help of my children, I was able to buy land on the mainland. I am now preparing to relocate with my family to Buikwe,” said Kasule Lugumu, formerly a resident of Bubembe.

Kasule’s land was taken over by the project about a year ago. Married with one wife and four children, he said he had lived in Bubembe for 28 years.

“I lived here peacefully with my family for over 28 years, practising crop farming and fishing, before the army chased us off the lake. When they came for our land, I felt my life was coming to an end,” Kasule recounted.

However, not all affected persons are satisfied with the compensation process. Emmanuel Mbaali, another project-affected resident, complained that the verification exercise was unfair.

“I was awarded a very small amount for my land. I owned three acres with a house and a garden, but I was only compensated for the land and not the house,” he alleged.

Working jointly with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, MAAIF conducted a comprehensive verification exercise to validate all project-affected persons before disbursing the funds.

Available data indicates that at least 301 people have so far been compensated. However, payments for 158 individuals were returned by financial institutions due to errors in personal records and documentation, including discrepancies in names and account numbers.

The area Member of Parliament, Robert Migadde, said the compensation process was largely conducted fairly following several verification and negotiation meetings.

“I personally participated in many of these negotiations and verification engagements to ensure that my people were not cheated. I am confident that the few outstanding cases will be resolved amicably,” Migadde said.

The NOPP is being implemented along a narrow belt of approximately 30 kilometres on the islands of Buvuma and Kalangala in Lake Victoria, as well as in other districts including Masindi, Bundibugyo and Arua.

The project operates in geographically defined hubs, identified as agro-climatically suitable areas within a 30-kilometre radius, each covering a minimum of 3,000 hectares.

https://thecooperator.news/uganda-to-extend-palm-oil-growing-to-other-distric/

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