By Leilah Bbaale
More than 30 people affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Rakai, Lwengo, Sembabule and Kakumiro districts have passed on before getting their compensation.
According to Community-Based Monitors from Global Rights Alert (GRA) and local leaders in the respective districts, the matter came up in the different community engagements on how the affected families can process the Letters Of Administration to claim compensation of the deceased PAPs.A Letter of Administration is simply a legal document issued by a competent Court, allowing the administrator to manage and distribute the deceased person’s estate or property.
According to Richard Orebi, the Programmes Associate-GRA, the issue of PAPs that have died and families that are often stranded in these districts have been documented in the community-based monitors’ reports.  He explains that since death is inevitable, it is important for the affected families to know what they can do in time before the compensation starts.
He noted that if the letters of administration are not processed in time several PAPs and their families may suffer in the long run after the compensation.  Orebi adds that the delayed acquisition of the letters of administration may also delay the compensation process and the deceased PAPs’ families may be left out.
