"Uganda: Poor Landowners Caught Up in Fight for Land in Oil-Rich Buliisa"

...Mr Eriakimu Kaseegu['s]...home is located in Kisimo Cell, Buliisa Town Council in Buliisa District, some 284 kilometres northwest of Kampala. The area has at least 26 oil wells. "Ever since oil was discovered in our village, we have become restless,"...[M]any rich individuals have invaded the area and claimed ownership of land adjacent to the oil sites. The oil prospecting firm Tullow discovered Kasemene-1, Kasemene-2 and Kasemene-3 oil wells in Kisimo cell, Mr Kaseegu's village.

Since oil was discovered in Bunyoro sub-region in 2006, the value of land adjacent to the oil the sites have increased dramatically. The discoveries triggered a rush for land acquisition by investors and speculators. Oil wells were discovered in communal settlements, game parks and on the shores of Lake Albert. The area is mainly inhabited by fishermen, subsistence farmers and hunters, who lived on customary land and had no formal documentation to prove the ownership. Consequently, investors continued to acquire land for oil-related projects such as oil waste treatment plants, central processing facilities, pipelines, industrial parks and other petroleum- related investments...

"New land claimants who had never expressed interest in the land before oil discoveries have emerged in Buliisa district, threatening the interests of residents who have owned land communally for so long," says Mr Angalia Mukonda, the chairperson of Buliisa Elders Forum.