EACOP COURT CASE AT THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE

This fact sheet describes a legal challenge filed at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) by four civil society organizations against the governments of Uganda, Tanzania, and the Secretary General of the East African Community. The applicants seek to stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, arguing that it violates multiple regional and international treaties regarding environmental protection, human rights, and sustainable development.

• On November 6, 2020, four civil society entities—CEFROHT (Uganda), AFIEGO (Uganda), Natural Justice (Kenya), and the Centre for Strategic Litigation (Tanzania)—filed a case at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) against the governments of Uganda and Tanzania and the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC).
• The EACOP is a planned 1,443km electrically-heated crude oil pipeline intended to transport 216,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Uganda's Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, with construction expected to begin in 2023.
• The project is funded by TotalEnergies (62% shareholding), the governments of Uganda and Tanzania (15% each), and the China National Off-shore Oil Corporation (8%).
• The EACOP poses significant environmental and biodiversity risks, including the fragmentation of habitats for endangered animals and the impact on 2,000km2 of protected areas. Specific affected areas include Bugoma, Wambabya, and Taala forests in Uganda, and the Minziro Nature Forest Reserve and Burigi-Biharamulo Game Reserve in Tanzania.
• The pipeline threatens water security for up to 40 million people in East Africa, as nearly a third of the route lies within the Lake Victoria basin. The Tanzanian ESIA report notes the pipeline comes within five kilometres of Lake Victoria at kilometre posts 455-470.
• The project is estimated to generate 377.6 million metric tonnes of emissions over its 25-year lifetime, comprising construction (0.24 MtCO2 in Uganda), operational (6.55 MtCO2e), refining (34.52 MtCO2), and product use emissions (330.71 MtCO2).
• The project carries economic risks due to a $5 billion construction cost and the possibility that falling global oil demand—with the IEA predicting a one-third price drop over two decades—will leave Uganda and Tanzania unable to repay debts, potentially diverting funds from health and education.
• Social impacts include the compulsory acquisition of land from 13,000 households in Uganda and Tanzania, leading to reduced incomes, food scarcity, and psychosocial distress due to compensation delays and land-use restrictions.

APA

Natural Justice (2022). EACOP COURT CASE AT THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Factsheeet-EACOP-case-at-the-East-African-Court-of-Justice-February-2022.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. EACOP COURT CASE AT THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE. 2022. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Factsheeet-EACOP-case-at-the-East-African-Court-of-Justice-February-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=EACOP COURT CASE AT THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE |date=February 2022 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Factsheeet-EACOP-case-at-the-East-African-Court-of-Justice-February-2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2022eacop, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{EACOP COURT CASE AT THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Factsheeet-EACOP-case-at-the-East-African-Court-of-Justice-February-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }