Kampala, Uganda – A group of 11 Ugandan climate activists, famously dubbed “The KCB 11,” returned to court today to face charges stemming from their April 23 protest at the basement of KCB Uganda’s headquarters in Kampala.
Their arrest sparked national and international outrage over what human rights advocates call a deliberate crackdown on environmental protests.
The young activists, affiliated with the StopEACOP campaign, were peacefully demonstrating against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, a highly controversial $5 billion fossil fuel pipeline backed by TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), with financing ties to institutions including KCB Group.
On April 23, the 11 activists entered the KCB Uganda basement with a petition urging the bank to withdraw any direct or indirect financial support for EACOP publicly. They were arrested by police shortly after and charged with criminal trespass and public nuisance.
Critics argue that the charges are politically motivated and part of a growing pattern of shrinking civic space in Uganda, especially for environmental defenders.
“Voicing opposition to EACOP is not a crime,” said Joan Namugerwa. It’s a moral duty. These activists should be celebrated, not criminalised.”
During today’s session at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, the activists appeared calm but defiant. Their lawyers pushed for dismissal of charges, citing a lack of credible evidence and a violation of their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
The State, however, requested additional time to finalize investigations, prompting another adjournment, a tactic that activists claim is being used to intimidate and exhaust them psychologically and financially.
As one of the commercial banks named in the EACOP financing matrix, KCB Uganda has come under intense scrutiny. The StopEACOP campaign and its global partners are demanding that the bank publicly dissociate itself from the prosecution and clarify its environmental and human rights commitments.
“If KCB wants to maintain its reputation as a people-centric bank, it must say something now,” said Moses Matovu, an analyst with the African Institute for Environmental Justice. “Silence equals complicity.”
Despite mounting pressure, KCB Uganda has remained silent, neither confirming nor denying its role in the protesters’ arrest or its ties to EACOP.
The plight of the KCB 11 has mobilized a broader conversation across Uganda about the cost of economic progress vs environmental survival. Activists say that projects like EACOP threaten livelihoods, displace communities, and contribute to climate change, with no transparent compensation framework for affected locals.
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