Metro

Uganda files lawsuit to remove property owners obstructing a regional pipeline

Published

5 days ago

September 14, 2024

Due to low-value payments, absentee landlords, and a complicated land ownership system in some areas of the country, Uganda’s government has begun a legal battle with 112 landowners who the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) is set to displace.

As a result, a Ugandan court will on Monday hear a case in which the government has sued eighty individuals, attempting to force them off their land in three districts within the Greater Masaka region along the Eacop route. The developers of these districts are rushing to meet the deadlines for the nation to begin exporting oil that year.

Two related instances involving landowners from the Hoima and Kyankwanzi districts this week were also heard. These districts are a part of the 296 km Eacop length in Uganda, where at least 32 absentee landowners and others who rejected low-value compensation pose a serious delay.

The 112 cases “under consideration for compulsory land acquisition due to issues such as untraceable individuals, landowner disputes, refusal of compensation offers, and lack of legal title,” according to Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa, were recognised last month in a media conference in Kampala.

With early civil works nearly finished, Eacop officials told journalists that the project is approaching a vital stage to begin laying the pipeline.

In addition to the six pump stations and the twelve main camp people yards (MCPYs) that are now under construction, the coating facility in Tanzania was put into service in March and 700 km of line pipe have already been sent there.

“Early civil works are ongoing in both Uganda and Tanzania,” Ms Nankabirwa said.

“In Uganda, work has been completed at three of the five MCPYs located in Hoima, Kakumiro, and Sembabule districts, while work continues at the MCPYs in Mubende and Kyotera districts.”

However, on the Ugandan side of the corridor—the shorter one—the pace of clearing the 1,443 km Eacop route has been slower and fraught with disputes; just 96% of project-affected individuals (PAPs) in Uganda have received compensation, compared to 99% in Tanzania.

In Uganda, the pipeline corridor includes 2,740 acres over 296km and has 3,660 PAPs. In Tanzania, the pipeline corridor covers 10,081 acres over 1,147km and has 9904 eligible persons for compensation.

Some of the impacted parties, who were sued for not having legal standing or a representative to handle their families’ compensation, have attributed their problems to NewPlan, the company that was contracted to carry out the Eacop resettlement action plan, as the hearing for these lawsuits aimed at evicting the landowners gets underway.

For example, Sarah Namatovu claims that after the rightful landowner passed away, her family was sued for not having a legal representative or letters of administration to the estate. The resettlement action plan contractor pledged to pursue the processing of a death certificate to comply with this requirement.

“NewPlan came to our home in 2018 and informed us that the death certificate we have was not fit for purpose. This is because the certificate was not issued by the National Identification and Registration Authority,” she explained.

“NewPlan promised to support us to acquire the right death certificate so that we could process letters of administration and get compensation, but they never did. The next thing we heard is that we had been sued because we rejected compensation, yet we did not.”

As the hearing for these lawsuits aimed at evicting the landowners begins, some of the affected parties—who were sued for lacking legal standing or a representative to handle their families’ compensation—have attributed their problems to NewPlan, the company hired to carry out the Eacop resettlement action plan.

For instance, Sarah Namatovu asserts that her family was sued for failing to have letters of administration to the estate or a legal agent following the death of the legitimate landowner. To meet this criterion, the resettlement action plan contractor promised to seek the processing of a death certificate.

When NewPlan visited our house in 2018, they told us that the death certificate we had was not valid. She said, “This is because the National Identity and Registration Authority did not issue the certificate.

“The affected estates are those under the Succession Register in Buganda Kingdom. Matters relating to those estates are supposed to be administered by the kingdom,” he said, adding that because of that directive, it has been difficult for some people in Buganda to obtain certificates of no objection from the office of the Administrator-General to process letters of administration.

Related Topics:Featured regional pipeline Uganda

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Metro

Nigerian govt to jail private employers paying below N70,000 minimum wage

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has vowed to prosecute and possibly jail private employers who pay their workers below the N70,000 minimum wage recently approved for workers in the country.

The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, who stated this while speaking at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria held in Lagos on Wednesday, called on agencies recruiting for the private sector to adhere to the N70,000 minimum wage, warning that any deviation would not be tolerated.

Abubakar said the new minimum wage was necessary to address the current economic reality, emphasising that no Nigerian worker, whether in government or private employment, should be paid less than the minimum wage.

“The minimum wage is now a law, and as a result, it is a punishable crime for any employer to pay less than N70,000 to any of its workers,” he stated.

“The private employment agencies should make it compulsory in any contract they take from their principal that their workers should not earn less than the minimum wage. The least paid worker in Nigeria should earn N70,000, and I think that should be after all deductions.

“The minimum wage is a law, and you can be jailed if you fail to implement it. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the least paid worker goes home with N70,000.”

Metro

Combating misinformation, media deception

Published

23 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and fake news has become a pressing global concern and Zambia, like many other African countries, is not immune.

Misinformation refers to the unintentional spread of false information, while disinformation is deliberately fabricated to deceive, according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Fake news often encompassed both, usually with malicious intent.

Elizabeth Riziki, National Director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Tanzania, identified several factors contributing to information disorders globally, including in Zambia.

“These include barriers to accessing information, an information gap between urban and rural communities, government control of the media and youth unemployment,” Riziki said.

The spread of false information has far-reaching consequences, such as eroding trust in institutions, fueling social unrest and undermining democracy.

To mitigate these risks, Zambia needs to take proactive measures to sanitise its media space.

Prisiel Samu, Programmes Coordinator at ZimFact, noted that individuals with internet access are often involved in spreading fake news.

“Governments can play a leading role by regulating social media platforms, which have become breeding grounds for misinformation,” Samu stated.

In Zambia, the rise of social media and online platforms had created an environment conducive to the spread of false information, significantly impacting public discourse, policy-making and national security.

The consequences of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news in Zambia included undermining confidence in institutions, leaders and media outlets.

A study by researcher Gregory Gondwe, titled “Audience Perception of Fake News in Zambia: Examining the Relationship Between Media Literacy and News Believability,” suggested that formal education had a limited impact on detecting fake news.

Instead, the credibility of news sources was found to be an insignificant factor in determining trustworthiness.

Fabricated stories often incited violence, xenophobia, and electoral manipulation, disrupt markets, harm businesses and deter investment.

To combat these issues, Zambia must adopt a multi-faceted approach, including establishing a regulatory body to enforce ethical journalism and online content standards.

The Zambian government has recently announced a crackdown on the misuse of social media under Section 54 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021.

This crackdown extended to administrators of WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms, who are reminded of their legal responsibilities and the potential consequences of allowing harmful content.

“WhatsApp group administrators must curtail postings that are illegal and in bad faith, as they will be held responsible for the publication of such information,” cautioned Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati.

Various stakeholders have proposed several measures to address misinformation, including supporting independent fact-checking initiatives, promoting transparency in media ownership and funding, protecting individuals who expose misinformation and encouraging media outlets to adhere to ethical standards.

Additionally, educating citizens on critical thinking, media literacy, and fact-checking skills was crucial.

By implementing these measures, Zambia aims to foster a media environment that values truth, accuracy, and informed discourse.

This story is sponsored by Project Aliyense.