BIRUDO through its work to promote Land Rights and Access to Justice with one of its focus is to build the capacity of women in defending their land and properties rights. During capacity building training of Ngwedo United Women Group members and teaching them on women rights on administration of land and other properties, the members identified a widow Miss Awekonimungu Evelyn who is wife to the late Alimange Simon a.k.a OBAYA of Ngwedo sub county in Ngwedo farm Village whom her properties rights were being violated by her deceased husband brothers Mr. Onenchan Francis and Mr. Opio Stephen.
BIRUDO paid a visit to Miss Awekonimungu Evelyn home to listen to her story and ascertain the truth of the allegations. It indeed found out that the rights of this widow were being violated. She was denied any form of access to her deceased husband’s property by her brothers in law who had assumed ownership of the whole estate including compensation money from their properties affected by oil activities. Mr. Onenchan Francis and Mr. Opio Stephen got proceeds from their brother’s estate but could not provide any form of maintenance for their late brother’s children. All the children were out of school for lack of school fees. When her deceased husband brothers Mr. Onenchan Francis and Mr. Opio Stephen learnt that BIRUDO had visit Miss Awekonimungu and she narrated her story to BIRUDO and BIRUDO promised to support her to again her properties rights, Onenchan Francis and Opio Stephen decided to attack the widow and forcefully chase her away from
her home. Immediately she reported her case to BIRUDOs’ Community Legal Volunteer (CLV) who referred the case to BIRUDOs’ project manager. BIRUDO had to support her to engage with Uganda Police force at Ngwedo Police station, who responded quickly and arrested both Onenchan Francis and Opio Stephen. Later on, Miss Awekonimungu requested BIRUDO to hold a mediation between her and Onenchan Francis and Opio Stephen including other family members. BIRUDO organised mediation sessions which were attended by Buliisa district community development officer (DCDO) and Uganda Police force family and children protection unit. The mediation enabled to identify all the deceased properties, UGX 950,000 out of the 1.2 million that Onenchan Francis and Opio
Stephen sold the deceased land without Awekonimungu and the children consent, was recovered from Onenchan Francis and Opio Stephen and both identified properties and the money recovered, were handed over to Miss Awekonimungu. The next step is, BIRUDO is supporting Miss Awekonimungu and the family to get formal letter of administration which will indicate who is or are the administrator/s of deceased’s estate. The letter of administration will help Miss Awekonimungu and the children in protecting their properties.
BIRUDO staff had a one-day organisation capacity assessment workshop at Hoima Resort Hotel in Hoima Oil City on 25th August 2020. This was to assess BIRUDO capacity. 11 participant attended the workshop from both BIRUDO board and staff. The following key areas were assessed therefore governance, management practices, human resources, financial resources, service delivery, external relations and
On 11th August 2020, BIRUDO organized one day planning meeting with 10 CLVs and VHTs in Buliisa District to plan on how to response to emerging human rights issues amidst Covid-19. The meeting also prepared CLVs and VHTs to have capacity to respond to domestic/gender based violence, sexual harassment, child abuse, abortion, early marriages, early marriages, HIV/AIDS, Covid-19 protection and impact floods and likely disease outbreak due to flood. CLVs and VHTs were taken through referral pathways in case of community abuses or human rights violation reported to them. This meeting was conducted with support from KIOS Foundation.
Bugungu Community Association had 3 days retreat at Lweza Training and Conference Centre to review Environment and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for Tilange project. ESMP operationalizes plans of mitigating the serious environmental and social impacts of the Tilenga Project. Over 24 Bugungu community members who are affected by Tilange project participated in this retreat. The retreat funded by BIRUDO with support from KIOS Foundation. However, the participants send out letter to Total E&P demanding for more days to enable them effectively review ESMP document that is over 1500 pages. The following are the community reasons for demand for the additional days for the ESMP review.
1. Since the ESMP operationalizes plans of mitigating the serious environmental and social impacts of the Tilenga Project, it requires meaningful consultation of the project affected communities to get their comments into the ESMP.
c. There are no non-technical summaries, videos, and infographics presenting information in more accessible formats and languages for easy communication to the local communities and stakeholders.
4. We cannot engage effectively in this process until a genuine effort is made by Total to develop a meaningful consultation process, including the dissemination of the information in an accessible form followed by a minimum of 90 days for public comment. In this regard, we are requesting an extension of the review timeframe and meaningful engagement on the ESMP review process. Please provide documents in local languages (Lugungu and Alur), non-technical summaries, and key ideas and concepts pulled out in accessible formats like infographics and videos for us. Please also provide us support and funding to hire our own independent experts of choice to review information. We also want an explanation as to why we were not consulted as this document was being developed. We also want to better understand what plans if any you have for (compensated) community-led monitoring systems for environmental and social impacts.
On the 14th day of March 2018, BIRUDO helped Kiiza Alice Balamu Aheebwa to regain her land that had been grabbed from her by the Bahukwa Clan. Alice had owned the land in question for over 20 years in Kijangi Village in Buliisa Sub-County. BIRUDO successfully mediated this case with the help of elders and clan members. Finally, the Bahukwa Clan agreed to handover the land to Alice. Thereafter, both parties signed a Consent Agreement and the duo parties peacefully demarcated the land boundary.
Local community in Kakoora Village in Buliisa Sub county in Buliisa District attending a awareness meeting organised by BIRUDO with support from USAID and UKaid GAPP Program. The meeting was organised with the purpose to ensure that local community benefit from local government livelihood programs and promote good governance and accountability. Sub County community development officer Ms. Mulinzi Joseline was used to sensitize the local community. During the awareness Ms. Mulinzi presented how local community can benefit from youth livelihood program, PRDP, women empowerment program, operation wealth creation, UWA revenue sharing, social action grant for older person and NUSAF III.
Today BIRUDO has started raising awareness on public finance management Act 2015 mostly on royalties sharing and ways to manage local communities and their leader’s expectations in the next phase of the oil and gas production at village levels. This activity is supported by Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). Local communities in Muvlue Village in Ngwedo Sub County Buliisa District attending the awareness meeting.
During the meeting a women raised a complaint on how road construction is destroying their crops without compensation. She said, she always earned income out of these destroyed crops from tourists who pass by to Murchison Falls National Park. BIRUDO staff after the meeting visited her field.
On 27th January, 2016 Mr. Bonefence Bikobo report a case to BIRUDO office for mediation on land and compensation which Tullow Oil Company is to pay him on access road. But the son Mr. Robert Wathaum claim that the land where access road is belong to him, it was given to him by his grand father. on 20th Feburary, 2016 Mr. Robert Wathaum was poison and death on the same day. He left two widows and three children who are trying to followup the case. BIRUDO try the engage Mr. Bonefence Bikobo to resolve the case on one to one but failed.