‘Oil companies dumped waste on my land, and I am still paying the price’

When DOUGLAS OLWOCH, 46, a farmer in Pabit parish, Purongo sub-county, Nwoya district, allowed an oil company to use his land as a waste-dumping ground, he thought it was a good deal.

But as Olwoch, who is also the area LC II chairperson, tells Benon Herbert Oluka, he now knows it was a bad idea – and he is still paying the price.

On March 3, 2009, an oil company called Heritage came and asked me to offer them a dumping site for the waste extracted from drilling of oil wells. They met me in Anaka and took me in their car to meet the district environment officer (DEO). We [also] went to the sub-county chief, LC II chairperson and environment secretary of the area. All the officials approved the plan.

I returned [home] and we had a family sitting. We agreed that we would be paid Shs 1 million. But Heritage refused. Instead, they offered us Shs 750,000. They dumped oil waste for one month, covered the hole, and then, three months later, returned ownership of the site to me. They assured me they would keep monitoring until five months had elapsed.

After the five months, they told me I could then plant anything on it. I planted maize and cassava on it. Some visitors later came to me and asked me where the oil waste was dumped. They told me that the waste was very bad.

Some of these visitors would pluck the stems and leaves of the maize and cassava and go with it. They told me the waste would affect my children, especially the girls; that they would have abnormal children.

When my two wives who had borne me children heard of it, they all left me. One had twins who were one year old and the other had a one-and-half-year-old baby. One has even got married to another man and they already have a child.

When I saw the information about the waste being dangerous was overwhelming, I went to the sub-county chief. He summoned the employees of Heritage to explain. The Heritage people refuted the claims.

After that, they sold their shares to Tullow Oil. Tullow officials even came here and Heritage handed over the site to them. Then Tullow also sold their shares to Total ENP.

We insisted with our public outcry that the waste must be removed, until Total agreed that they would remove it. But they did not. Around 2014, the chairman LC-V of Nwoya district, Patrick Okello Oryema, visited my home and said the only way to resolve the issue was to take them to court.

I asked the chairman whether the district would pay [the legal costs] because the money was so much. He assured me that he had found a lawyer who would treat me with a human heart that I could pay after the conclusion of the case.

The chairman told me the lawyer was [Aruu MP] Hon Odonga Otto. He told me to write a note to give Otto powers to pursue the case. I told the chairman: “But I am not good at English.”

The chairman drafted a letter for me and gave me to write in my own handwriting. I wrote the letter and gave it to the chairman, who took it to Otto. After two weeks, Otto came to my home. He mobilised the neighbourhood and addressed them. Then he went to the dumping site and took photos. Then he went to Paraa primary school where there was a borehole suspected to have been contaminated by the oil waste and also addressed the teachers.

Otto went and filed a case against Total. But before the High court could proceed with the case, we were advised to go for mediation, which took place in the presence of the Grade I Magistrate of Amuru.

During the mediation, Total ENP refused liability, which was made by me. At that time, there were three complainants; me, the LC-V chairperson Okello Oryema and the MP for Kilak at that time Gilbert Olanya.

Immediately after mediation, the Total people approached me and told me that court had given them permission to remove the waste. Unfortunately, shortly after that, I was arrested that I had raped an old lady of 76 years. I was kept in court for six days. But when the complainant refuted the allegation, saying it was not forceful sex, I was acquitted.

In my absence, the government valuer and the district officials came here and did verification on the supposed extent of the damage that the waste could have done. The samples were taken and it was discovered that there were a lot of toxins in this place. They recommended that they will relocate my house, the latrine and the crops. The government valuer gave me compensation of Shs 6 million. They gave me the money through Post Bank.

After writing their report, the following day a big community meeting was called. The community was assured that they would offer labour for the removal of the waste. A company called Enviroserve was contracted to remove the waste.

Enviroserve took all the waste to [the waste management plant in] Hoima. After that, the community was called for another meeting and they were assured that there was nothing bad anymore. They still continue monitoring – Nema [National Environment Management Authority], Total and the district officials.

My plan is to plant soya beans on the garden since they removed the waste and have told me that there is no problem. But we are waiting to see if there is any long-term effect.

Members of my family have not yet been examined to see if there were any effects.We know that those people are businesspeople and they cannot shoot themselves in the foot by telling me everything. They could have hidden some information from me.

hobenon@observer.ug