Four Ugandan farmers are expected to file a landmark lawsuit in the High Court of England and Wales on July 7, seeking to stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from becoming operational.
The farmers are suing EACOP Ltd, the company responsible for developing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the pipeline.
EACOP Ltd is registered in England and Wales and is majority-owned by TotalEnergies. The governments of Uganda and Tanzania, together with China’s CNOOC, also hold shares in the company.
The claimants argue that EACOP has breached Uganda’s climate, environmental, and constitutional laws through its role in developing the oil pipeline.
They are asking the London court to apply Uganda’s own laws to the UK-registered company instead of replacing them with British law.
The farmers say Uganda’s legal protections guarantee citizens the right to a clean and healthy environment and require action to prevent environmental damage and address climate change.
If the court agrees with their arguments, it could issue an injunction preventing oil from being transported through the pipeline.
Such an order would strike at the heart of the project because EACOP is being built to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export.
The claimants are also seeking compensation and other legal remedies available under Ugandan law.
Legal experts say the case could become the first in which a foreign court applies Ugandan climate and environmental law against a company registered outside Uganda.
The lawsuit also comes at a time when fossil fuel companies are facing increasing legal challenges over their contribution to climate change.
Construction of the pipeline is already underway, with first oil expected in late 2026 or 2027. The farmers argue that this is the last opportunity to prevent the project from becoming operational.
They contend that the pipeline would worsen climate change by enabling the extraction, transportation, and burning of large amounts of oil over several decades.
Studies cited by the claimants estimate that oil transported through EACOP could generate more than 370 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions during the lifetime of the project.
The farmers also allege that work on the pipeline has already damaged the local environment through vegetation clearance and impacts on water sources, wildlife, and biodiversity.
The pipeline passes through the Lake Victoria basin, one of East Africa’s most important freshwater systems, which provides water to about 40 million people.
Environmental groups say the project could affect 158 wetlands in Uganda, 11 rivers, 44 protected areas, and seven key biodiversity areas.
They also warn that nearly 2,000 square kilometres of protected wildlife habitat could be disrupted, including areas inhabited by elephants, lions, giraffes, leopards, chimpanzees, pangolins and other species.
The claimants further argue that more than 100,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania have been affected by land acquisition for the pipeline and related oil developments.
Some families have reportedly lost land, farming opportunities and livelihoods, while others have complained about delays in compensation and inadequate payments.
One of the claimants, Gerald Barekye, said failed harvests caused by changing weather patterns have made life increasingly difficult for farming communities.
“When a harvest fails here, children eat less, school fees go unpaid, and families fall deeper into poverty. Our communities need land, food, and clean water to survive the climate crisis, not a foreign oil project that we feel will make the crisis worse,” he said.
Another claimant, Serinah Kamanyire, said communities had been promised development after oil was discovered in their area, but instead experienced disruption.
“When oil was discovered on our land, we were told it would bring development and prosperity. But the oil has not protected our farms. It has taken land, disturbed the animals, cut through the trees, and changed the place we depend on every day,” she said.
The case relies on three key Ugandan laws: the National Climate Change Act of 2021, the National Environment Act of 2019 and the Constitution, all of which recognise the right to a clean and healthy environment.
The farmers argue that these laws allow people to seek legal remedies where actions threaten the environment or undermine climate change mitigation and adaptation, even if they have not suffered direct personal injury.
They also argue that the case should be heard in the United Kingdom because EACOP Ltd is registered there and because they fear they may not obtain substantial justice if they sue in Uganda.
According to the claimants, EACOP is a major government project, raising concerns about whether they could receive a fair hearing.
They also cite reports of pressure on lawyers, restrictions on civil society organisations, and arrests of people protesting against the pipeline.
BankTrack has reported that 222 people opposed to or critical of EACOP were arrested in Uganda between May 2021 and August 2025.
Civil society organisations have also expressed concern that Uganda’s Protection of Sovereignty Act could expose activists and organisations receiving foreign support to greater scrutiny.
EACOP Ltd has previously maintained that it is complying with all applicable laws and regulations. The company has said the project is being implemented under licences issued by the governments of Uganda and Tanzania.
The farmers are represented by the British law firm Leigh Day, which has handled several cross-border environmental and human rights cases in UK courts, including claims against Shell over oil pollution in Nigeria and claims against Dyson over alleged forced labour in Malaysia.
The outcome of the case could have significant implications for EACOP and future attempts to hold multinational companies accountable for environmental and climate impacts across national borders.
