By KT Reporter
Leaders and residents in Buliisa District have asked the government to compel oil companies operating in the Bunyoro sub-region to withdraw workers from company camps and instead accommodate them in locally-owned hotels and lodges. They argue that this move would allow the local population to benefit from the oil and gas industry.
The residents say that following the discovery of oil and gas in the region, the government mobilized both local and international investors to invest in the hospitality sector to cater to the influx of oil workers. In response, local investors constructed hotels and lodges with the expectation of providing accommodation to workers in the sector.
However, to their dismay, oil companies have opted to set up their own camps, leaving the local facilities unoccupied. Residents further express concern that they are unable to supply food and other services to the oil and gas sector due to bureaucratic procurement systems employed by the companies. They note that most of the food and supplies are sourced from Kampala, sidelining local businesses.
The leaders are now appealing to the government to ensure oil companies house their workers in the locally established hotels and lodges. Kamanda Kabagambe, the LC3 Chairperson for Buliisa Sub-county, says it is unfortunate that the companies continue to accommodate workers in camps while locally built facilities remain empty. He is urging the government to take immediate action.
Muhereza Bajenja, a resident of Kataleba in Bugana Parish, also faults the oil companies for disregarding the government’s earlier call encouraging locals to invest in hospitality facilities. He wants the government to take stern action and compel the companies to relocate workers into the community.
Buliisa LC5 Chairperson Fred Lukumu says that aside from compensation and road works, residents have hardly benefited from the oil sector. He questions why oil companies were allowed to construct their own camps despite earlier assurances that local accommodation facilities would be used. He calls for urgent government intervention to ensure oil workers are relocated to the community facilities.
In November last year, a source at CNOOC Uganda Limited, who requested anonymity, told URN that the companies find it inefficient to transport workers daily from distant hotels to project sites, arguing that this would hamper operations. During the early stages of oil exploration in the Albertine Graben, districts like Hoima, Kikuube, and Buliisa saw a surge in demand for accommodation as investors and workers flooded the area.
This demand spurred the construction of hotels and lodges, which provided a significant source of local revenue linked to the oil industry. However, as the country advances towards oil production and extraction of an estimated 6.5 billion barrels, hotel owners are raising concerns. Companies such as CNOOC and TotalEnergies EP have shifted to self-contained camps, bypassing local hospitality services.
URN has reliably learned that TotalEnergies EP, which operates the Tilenga oil fields in Buliisa, has already completed 1,000 of the 4,000 planned housing units for workers, all of whom are currently housed within the company’s camp. Similarly, CNOOC, which operates the Kingfisher Development Area in Buhuka, Kikuube District, is constructing around 2,000 housing units. Most of its workers are already staying in these camps-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
