Parliament has renewed pressure on government to compensate people displaced by the Karuma Hydropower Project, as Members of Parliament also raised concerns over the slow expansion of electricity access to communities that remain off the national grid.
The concerns were raised on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during a plenary session chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
Kibanda North County MP Linos Ngompek called on government to address outstanding compensation claims involving people who surrendered their land for the 600-megawatt Karuma Hydropower Project.
Construction of the Karuma project began in 2013 and displaced thousands of people. According to government resettlement records, the project affected 3,735 people, including landowners and tenants.
Ngompek said some project-affected persons have waited for years to receive compensation, with some elderly claimants dying before receiving the money they were promised.
One of the outstanding disputes involves vulnerable project-affected persons whom government plans to physically resettle at Lapono in Nwoya District instead of providing them with cash compensation.
Ngompek said the affected families would prefer cash compensation, which would give them the freedom to choose where to acquire land and rebuild their homes.
However, the State Minister for Energy, Sidronius Okaasai, said the resettlement process had progressed and that government was already preparing to relocate the affected families.
A Ministry of Finance performance report for the 2020/21 financial year indicated that compensation under the Karuma Resettlement Action Plan had reached 98 percent, while vulnerable project-affected persons were being resettled at Lapono.
Meanwhile, MPs also questioned the slow pace of electricity expansion, particularly in communities that remain disconnected from the national grid, calling for faster efforts to extend power access to affected areas.
By Francis Lubega
18th Aug 2026
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