Judicial officers issuing court orders that derail Uganda’s strategic oil and gas developments risk sabotaging the nation’s economic transformation, the Chief Justice has warned, framing such acts as tantamount to treason.
Speaking at the conclusion of a three-day tour of oil and gas sites in Buliisa and Hoima districts, Dr. Flavian Zeija urged judicial officers to serve as facilitators rather than obstacles to the country’s petroleum ambitions, emphasizing that legal disputes must be resolved expeditiously to avoid costly delays.
“It would be equivalent to treason for a judicial officer to put an injunction stopping the progress of an oil project because of any dispute. I want to urge judicial officers to be an aid to oil development rather than stepping on it,” Dr. Zeija said.
To mitigate litigation bottlenecks, Dr. Zeija revealed plans by the Judiciary to establish a specialized Environment and Infrastructure Division. This dedicated bench will handle disputes tied to major national works, complemented by specialized training for judicial officers to ensure cases are managed without stalling nationally strategic investments.
The warning comes on the heels of an appeal by Bank of Uganda Governor Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego, who cautioned that litigation must not jeopardize Uganda’s journey toward its First Oil target-a milestone central to achieving the government’s tenfold economic expansion strategy.
“There are going to be many issues to be settled because more players are coming into the sector, and disputes are inevitable. What we do not want is for court disputes to delay the production and export of Uganda’s oil,” Dr. Atingi-Ego noted during the joint tour.
Infrastructure progress accelerates ahead of first oil tyarget
The judicial delegation’s field visit highlighted substantial progress across major upstream and midstream installations aimed at commercializing Uganda’s crude reserves before the end of the year.
At the Tilenga Project in Buliisa District, the Central Processing Facility (CPF) has reached 68 percent completion. Designed to treat and prepare crude for export, the facility holds a maximum capacity of 190,000 barrels per day.
Andrew Ssenabulya, Senior Facilities Engineer at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), explained that project developer TotalEnergies EandP Uganda and its contractors have agreed on a phased commissioning approach to guarantee output deadlines. Although the CPF features two processing trains, technical evaluations confirmed that commercial export can successfully start using a single operational line without disrupting timelines.
According to PAU Manager for Cost Monitoring Angela Nalweyiso, international oil companies have so far poured over US$12 billion into capital expenditure spanning exploration, appraisal, and field development. TotalEnergies EandP Uganda has already drilled 228 of the 420 planned production wells under the Tilenga license area.
Highlighting domestic benefits, Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Tony Otoa reiterated the commitment to local participation across the energy value chain.
“As the Uganda National Oil Company, we are keen on many aspects of the sector, especially local content. That is why we have many Ugandans working with oil companies,” Mr. Otoa said.
EACOP nears final stretch
Concurrently, construction on the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has advanced to 91 percent completion. The electrically heated, insulated, and buried 24-inch pipeline will transport Uganda’s waxy crude from Kabaale in Hoima District across 296 kilometres in Uganda and 1,147 kilometres in Tanzania to the Chongoleani Marine Storage Terminal near Tanga Port.
Briefing the delegation on Wednesday, EACOP Deputy Managing Director John Bosco Habumugisha acknowledged that while external supply chain disruptions slowed momentum slightly, the pipeline remains on course for completion.
“In terms of overall completion, we are now at 91 percent. We could have been at about 94 percent, but several external factors affected project implementation. Nevertheless, the project remains on track, and we are optimistic that by the end of the year we shall have completed the remaining works and be ready for First Oil,” Mr. Habumugisha said.