Residents of Buyende district are skeptical about the nuclear project to be established in their area. During the launch of the resettlement action plan at Kasato village in Buyanja Sub-county on Tuesday, John Richard Ssenyange, the LCII chairperson of Buyanja parish, said that residents do not know the details of the project, and many of them are receiving information through rumors. He added that the residents are not sufficiently sensitized about the project and do not understand its advantages and disadvantages.
The LCII chairperson also mentioned that several residents of the area depend on fishing from Lake Kyoga for their livelihood, saying that it will be hard for them to cope with the new environment. The residents are also uncertain about the radius the nuclear project will cover and how many villages and households will be affected, Ssenyange remarked. He also faulted the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development for launching the Resettlement Action Plan before carrying out mass sensitization of the people, calling on Honorable Rebecca Kadaga, the First Deputy Prime Minister, to intervene.
Ronald Ssenkasi, the chairperson of Kasato LC I, said that officials from the ministry are giving varying information. He explained that they were initially told that the nuclear project would cover 5.7 square kilometers, and the next time they were given another figure of 11.58 square kilometers. Since the project was announced in the area, Kasato said that residents have been unable to carry out long-term farming projects on their land for fear of being resettled, which has left several families without food.
Since the announcement of the nuclear project and the resettlement of affected people, there has been no service delivery in the area, with no health center, the LC I chairperson, Ssenkasi, remarked.
The Government of Uganda developed an energy policy in 2023, targeting the production of 52,000 MW of electricity by 2040 to meet the country’s aspirations for that year. Of the 52,000 MW, nuclear energy is expected to contribute the largest percentage, with 24,000 MW, a target that cannot be achieved solely through solar and other renewables.
Dennis Tusiime Tungotyo, the nuclear engineer at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, explained that, in order to meet the power target, the ministry had to find a suitable location in the country for the nuclear project. According to Tungotyo, a nuclear power plant must be located in an area with a favorable geological condition, be seismically stable, have an available water source, and be situated in a location that is not densely populated.
Tungotyo stated that when they mapped the country, eight potential areas were identified, including the districts of Kiruhura, Nakasongola, Lamwo, Kasanda, and Buyende, among others. Among these areas, Tungotyo said that Buyende was the most suitable because it is geologically favorable and not located in a seismically active area, in line with international best practices for atomic energy.
Regarding the issues raised by the residents, Tungotyo clarified that the nuclear power project in Buyende will cover 30.1 square kilometers of land, affecting 10 villages. This is because a nuclear power plant requires a large area to accommodate auxiliary facilities such as water treatment plants, storage facilities, and the power plant itself. He also noted that the ministry is taking into consideration the creation of emergency zones to ensure that there are not too many people living close to the plant, placing several villages within the buffer zone.
He also emphasized that the location of the nuclear power plant is not dependent on the presence of uranium, despite the country’s known uranium reserves. In response to the residents’ concerns about awareness, Tungotyo stated that sensitization is an ongoing process. The ministry has conducted a series of campaigns since 2016 and has developed awareness materials translated into local languages.
Regarding the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), the ministry has engaged a consultant to assess resettlement, evaluation, and compensation factors, with the work expected to start soon. He added that the ministry plans to develop the other nuclear sites identified in the mapping to achieve the 24,000 MW target from nuclear energy.
The First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, Rebecca Kadaga, urged officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to engage with local leaders to address various issues so that government projects can be effectively implemented. Kadaga also mentioned that the Nuclear Research Institute, which was moved to Soroti University, should be brought back to Buyende. She said she intends to petition President Yoweri Museveni to have the Nuclear Research Institute built in Buyende district.
Additionally, Kadaga urged the residents to embrace the government’s development program for their area. She added that this engagement would take six months of dialogue so that every community member could understand and appreciate the program. Kadaga also advised Buyende residents not to sell their land to opportunists who might buy cheaply but to wait for government valuers so they can be compensated fairly. The Buyende nuclear project is set to kick off in 2027.