At least nine youth activists have been arrested by police in Kampala after storming Stanbic Bank's headquarters to protest the bank's funding of the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. The protesters, affiliated with the Students Against EACOP Uganda group, were taken into custody at the Kampala Central Police Station. The demonstration was part of a larger march involving over 50 activists. “We shall charge them with Common Nuisance. They will be presented in court either today or tomorrow morning,” said Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson. The protest follows an announcement by EACOP Ltd on March 27, confirming the completion of its first round of debt financing. The funding, secured from a consortium of five African and Middle Eastern banks, signals renewed investor confidence in the Uganda-Tanzania pipeline project despite longstanding opposition from environmentalists.

Stanbic Bank Uganda, along with its parent company Standard Bank of South Africa, is leading the group of African financial institutions backing the $5 billion (Shs18 trillion) project. Other banks include the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) and KCB Bank Uganda Ltd, a subsidiary of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group. In an April 2 petition addressed to Stanbic Bank Uganda’s Chief Executive Officer, Mumba Kalinfugwa, environmentalists condemned the bank’s involvement, highlighting that 43 banks and 29 insurers have already distanced themselves from the project due to environmental and human rights concerns.

Activists argue that the EACOP project has led to the displacement of over 10,000 families and the arrest of more than 100 protesters. They also allege that activists face abductions and human rights violations. “At a time when the world is grappling with the escalating effects of climate change, financing a fossil fuel infrastructure project is not only irresponsible; it is an active assault on our planet and our people,” reads the petition. Chief mobilizer of Students Against EACOP Uganda, Yudah Kaye, questioned whether Stanbic Bank's funding aligns with its Corporate Social Responsibility. “They are using our hard-earned money to fund a project that harms our environment and has caused suffering to thousands of families,” he said. The 1,443 km pipeline is expected to transport Uganda’s waxy crude oil from mid-western Uganda to Tanzania’s Tanga port on the Indian Ocean. It is owned by TotalEnergies (62%), Uganda National Oil Company Limited (15%), Tanzania’s Petroleum Development Corporation (15%), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (8%). While the Ugandan government sees EACOP as a pathway to economic transformation, critics argue it will worsen climate change, destroy wildlife habitats, and displace communities without adequate compensation.