The Ugandan government, through the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), is preparing to exhume and relocate more than 1,800 graves found on land designated for the development of the Kabaale Industrial Park in Kabaale Sub-county, Hoima District.
Robert Mukondo, a social development specialist at UNOC, revealed that the graves belong to some of the 7,000 individuals affected by the project who had buried loved ones on land later acquired for industrial use. Although the families received compensation, many did not relocate the graves.
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“To date, UNOC has identified 1,826 graves within the project area. These must be exhumed, transferred, and properly reburied,” Mukondo said. He added that UNOC is seeking assistance from the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom to provide land for the reburials, since many relatives of the deceased are difficult to locate. Mukondo stressed the importance of observing cultural traditions and rituals tied to the process of exhumation and reburial.
“As we move closer to oil production, it’s essential to engage the Bunyoro Kingdom regarding cultural practices around handling graves,” he noted. UNOC is collaborating with local leaders and neighboring communities to help identify and reach out to the deceased’s families.
Alex Katusabe, Chief Administrative Secretary of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, advised UNOC to first identify and inform the relatives before any reburial is carried out. He assured the company that the kingdom would provide land to ensure the process is done respectfully and in accordance with cultural customs.
The Kabaale Industrial Park will occupy 29 square kilometers of land that the government acquired in 2012 for the oil refinery project, covering 13 villages in Kabaale Parish, Buseruka Sub-county. The park is expected to house major infrastructure, including an international airport, crude oil export facilities, a refinery, petrochemical and fertilizer plants, logistics hubs, agro-processing units, polymer factories, and other related developments.
During the initial land acquisition, over 7,000 people were displaced. Some of these were relocated to Kyakaboga village in Buseruka Sub-county, where the government provided 533 acres and constructed permanent homes for resettled families.
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