The ecofeminists defending land rights in Uganda

The East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is about to snake its way through the communities of Kyankawanzi and Kiboga in Uganda and the land being grabbed is not empty. It is farmed and lived on by rural communities who depend on it, and 76 per cent of those farmers are women.

Without land, women can’t grow food to put on the table. They can’t sell produce for an income. And without that income they can’t pay for schooling for their children, or medicine. Without land, they become displaced in their own country and denied economic freedom.

This is where the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) comes in. NAPE has a strong track record of mobilising Ugandan women to claim their legal rights to their land, and to be compensated when it has been taken. Womankind has been partners with NAPE since 2017, supporting their ecofeminist movement building work. Most recently, Womankind has supported NAPE with the Movement Strengthening Fund (MSF) to strengthen their grassroots ecofeminist movement in Uganda.

Ecofeminist movement strengthening

NAPE has expanded their work further to the districts of Kyankwanzi and Kiboga that are targeted for the EACOP. Women here are yet to face issues of land grabbing and displacements as well as inadequate compensation similar to what women in Hoima, Kikuube and Bulisa have already faced.

NAPE understands that women engage in resistance every day; they resist land grabs, stand up to male dominance, and organise peaceful protests. They are working with the ecofeminist movement through sisterhood, solidarity, networking, learning, self-care activities and sharing of stories related to struggle and resistance.

With COP29 having kicked off earlier this week, now is the time to be reminded that gender and environmental justice go hand-in-hand. We invite you to get to know NAPE’s ecofeminist work and the women who make up their movement.

Meet four women from NAPE’s grassroots women’s movement