Government is seeking a considerable sum to deploy the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) to secure the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)
This was revealed by the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Vincent Ssempijja, who appeared before the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs on 11 January.
The EACOP is a pipeline that will transport oil produced from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania.
The pipeline is buried and once topsoil and vegetation have been re-instated, people and animals will be able to cross freely anywhere along its length.
“Tanzania is ready; they have budgeted for security of the pipeline but Uganda is not. This is still a thorn in our back; it is an unfunded priority,” Ssempijja said.
Ssempijja who was defending the Defence Ministry’s 2024/2024 budget said that whilst the ministry requires financial support for security of EACOP, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has not allocated any funds.
“We have a committee which I put in place comprising relevant entities, including the Ministry of Energy but they are all headed by Defense Ministry and we do not funds for security of the oil pipeline,” he added.
Committee chairperson, Wilson Kajwenjye, said that government ought to prioritise security of the pipeline.
Simon Peter Opolot (NRM, Kanyum County) asked the minister to consider a partnership with oil companies such as TotalEnergies to provide security for the pipeline.
