Anti-EACOP: 30 arrested at Chinese Embassy
Police in Kampala arresting East African Crude Oil Pipeline, EACOP protesters including a foreigner in Kololo, Kampala on June 26, 2025. Photo/Busein Samilu
What you need to know:
- “The construction of the 1,443km heated pipeline from Hoima to Tanga, Tanzania poses existential consequences to most of the region’s natural resources that’s Lake Victoria where a third of it passes through, forests and rivers,” reads part of the June 26 petition.
Police in Kampala have confirmed that it is holding 30 individuals including students and other community members who engaged in unlawful demonstrations against the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) on June 26.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the suspects include; 21 males and nine females being held at Jinja road Police Station and some members of the community who matched towards the Chinese Embassy, to deliver the petition seeking to stop the construction of EACOP.
The students started a peaceful demonstration at around 10:00am, matching towards the Chinese Embassy in Kololo, some holding banners, placards and the hard copies of the petition chanting “Stop EACOP”.
“We are going to the Embassy to meet the Ambassador on behalf of all Ugandans, especially the youth who are being affected by this bad project. We are peaceful people and they should also respect us,” said Bob Barigye, one of the students’ leaders.
Yuda Kaye, a student from Makerere Business School said the EACOP, once constructed, threatens the region's biodiversity as it passes through the regions national parks.
“This greatly contributes to mass extinction of the most endangered species like the great apes and hugely puts at risk their survival as the oil pipeline will escalate the level of carbon emissions and hence contributes to a growing frustration and justification for an urgent need to protect the endangered species,” he said.
In their petition, the students who had been joined by other members of the community urged the Chinese government to refrain from funding the construction of the EACOP which they say is dangerous to Uganda and the region.
“The construction of the 1,443km heated pipeline from Hoima to Tanga, Tanzania poses existential consequences to most of the region’s natural resources that’s Lake Victoria where a third of it passes through, forests and rivers,” reads part of the June 26 petition.
Shortly after addressing reporters near the embassy, the students, mostly youths, started what they called a peaceful march to the embassy only to be intercepted by police from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) just a few meters from the embassy gate.
These engaged the youths who failed and once the two failed to agree violent scenes started to unveil. The CTD officers were then backed up by their counterparts from the Field Force Unit (FFU) who arrived on two police pickups and arrests started.
The leaders including Baringye, Kaye and others were grabbed and pushed under the police pickup before others followed. The first two pickups with the arrested students were driven off to Jinja road police station before returning to pick up others remaining that had been forced to sit down outside the embassy.
Owoyesigyire in a statement said that the individuals were involved in an unlawful assembly, holding placards that read "NO TO OIL".
“The suspects are currently detained at Jinja Road Police Station and are facing allegations of holding an unlawful assembly. Further details will be provided as soon as they are available,” he said.
Adding, “We urge the public to remain calm and to follow legal procedures for any form of protest or assembly,”
The arrests come a few weeks after the same students marched to Parliament on May 29 and petitioned the Speaker of parliament over the same issue.
