SEGURIDAD RESPONSABLE IMPULSADA POR LOS CLIENTES: LECCIONES DEL EACOP EN UGANDA

Élever les normes grâce à l’approvisionnement

ICoCA’s engagement with Uganda dates back many years. During the late 2010s, while preparations, planning and stakeholder engagement were underway for the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), as well as the associated Tilenga and Kingfisher projects in the Lake Albert region, ICoCA engaged TotalEnergies and other companies involved in supply-chain procurement to advocate for the inclusion of ICoCA membership requirements in the security tenders.

At the time, ICoCA’s position was clear: although the Association did not yet have companies operating in Uganda, major investors had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to positively shape private security standards in the country through procurement requirements. By including ICoCA-related provisions in tenders, clients could help encourage security providers to join the Association and work towards internationally recognised standards. Through ICoCA’s human rights due diligence processes, membership or affiliation would also provide companies involved in the EACOP, Tilenga and Kingfisher projects – including TotalEnergies, CNOOC and others – with greater assurance that contracted providers were operating in line with acceptable international standards.

ICoCA often encounters concerns from multinational corporations and clients in other sectors, insisting that ICoCA membership or affiliation requirements cannot be included in security tenders where no ICoCA companies are already operating. TotalEnergies and the other companies involved in the EACOP, Tilenga and Kingfisher took another approach. Instead, they recognised the opportunity to begin the journey in raising industry standards in Uganda and aligning them with human rights and international humanitarian law, as outlined in the Code. Seven years later, the results are tangible. Uganda now has six private security companies that have joined ICoCA, as well as the first Ugandan Board Member to serve on ICoCA’s Board of Directors. This demonstrates that procurement can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Rather than waiting for ideal market conditions, responsible clients can help create them.

Responsible security on the ground

In the last week of March 2026, members of the ICoCA Secretariat were invited to visit the Tilenga sites near Bulisa, on the shores of Lake Albert, to document the EACOP/Tilenga project as a best practice case in promoting responsible security standards.

The visit included time with Saracen Uganda Ltd, an ICoCA transitional member company, at its camp near Bulisa, as well as one of the well-pads, of which Saracen secures 24 in total across the area.

This was followed by a visit to TotalEnergies’ Tilenga operations, including the camp at Bugungu, the Central Processing Facility and one of the two drilling rigs.

In addition to documenting lessons to share with the wider ICoCA community, these visits provided an important opportunity to better understand the operational challenges presented by the project, as well as the innovative approaches being adopted by Saracen and TotalEnergies to address them.

Security challenges across project phases

Each phase of a large-scale infrastructure project presents distinct security considerations.

The pipeline itself, for example, is thermally insulated and buried along 1,443 km, running from the city of Kabaale near Lake Albert in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, with six pumping stations along the route. Along with the well-pads and Central Processing Facility, the entire project required acquiring 6,400 hectares of land, affecting 19,140 households, of which 775 were relocated and compensated. As the project spans sparsely populated agricultural areas and the Murchison Falls National Park, deploying teams of security personnel to remote locations each day and night presents significant logistical challenges, as does ensuring a rapid response when issues arise. Personnel are based in a central residential camp in Bulisa and transported daily to and from sites.

With the transition from construction to production, the project is also entering a potentially sensitive period from a security perspective. Thousands of people are currently employed in construction-related jobs, the majority of whom are Ugandan. Many of these positions will disappear once construction is complete. While this transition has always been anticipated, workforce reductions can nevertheless create insecurity and community concerns. ICoCA is engaging relevant stakeholders to understand how these challenges are being approached and addressed in a human rights-compliant manner.

Responsible security and the just transition

Goal 3 of ICoCA’s 2024-2030 Strategic Plan is to “ensure that the responsible security practices promoted by ICoCA are recognised as essential for achieving the Just Transition”.

As outlined in the plan, the transition to a low-carbon economy will require substantial investment across the extractive, commodities, infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. At the same time, traditional fossil fuels are expected to remain part of the global energy mix for the foreseeable future. By embracing ICoCA from its inception, EACOP is an important example of how large-scale strategic development projects can help raise responsible security standards at a national level, a critical element in promoting peace and security.

At its best, responsible security is embedded within community engagement and places worker welfare at its core. Whatever the sector or infrastructure project, whether renewables, mining or fossil fuels, when security personnel are recruited from the communities in which they operate, when they are offered not only employment but also a career path and profession they can take pride in, and when they are fairly paid, properly trained and well-treated, they become a key foundation through which companies earn and maintain their social licence to operate. Respecting workers’ rights strengthens job retention, improves performance and relations with local communities, thereby enhancing operational legitimacy and long-term project success.

Having conducted a survey on working conditions in Uganda, where there is no minimum wage, ICoCA is well aware of the challenges and vulnerabilities faced by security workers. While there is always room for improvement, ICoCA’s visit to Bulisa and its continued engagement with clients in advocating for improved working conditions help underscore the value of company participation in the initiative.

The first Responsible Security Forum in Uganda

Following the visit to Bulisa, ICoCA co-hosted the first Responsible Security Forum (RSF) Uganda in Kampala, alongside Esteri Akandwanaho, ICoCA Board Member and Chairperson of Saracen Uganda Limited.

The Forum brought together stakeholders from across Uganda’s private security ecosystem to discuss recent progress, current challenges and the way forward. It marked an important milestone in ICoCA’s growing engagement in Uganda, particularly in connection with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project, one of the largest infrastructure developments in the region. Participants included private security companies, the Uganda Private Security Association, clients from the extractive sector, government ministries, the Ugandan Police in its role as regulator, and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

Discussions centred on raising standards across the sector, improving working conditions and identifying what more needs to be done to sustain progress. Using global standards as a reference point, participants reflected on what responsible operations mean in practice, from worker welfare and training to risk management, oversight and accountability. There was strong alignment on the need to continue raising standards across the sector, improve worker welfare and develop more consistent approaches to compliance and oversight. Participants also recognised that a private security sector operating to higher standards can help encourage investment in the country and support broader economic development.

The Forum provided an opportunity to reflect on progress, recognise achievements and identify next steps. It also demonstrated that there is both momentum and appetite to move towards a more responsible and accountable private security sector in Uganda and beyond. With the idea raised of launching an East Africa Chapter and with discussion of possible Ugandan government membership in the Association, the challenge now is to build on this momentum.

Continued engagement and looking ahead

A number of bilateral meetings and visits also took place during the week. This included conducting an on-site assessment of a company with a history of human rights incidents that had been working with ICoCA to strengthen its policies. The purpose of the visit was to ensure these policies were fully implemented so that the company could meet ICoCA’s requirements before joining the Association.

The week also included spending time with another company that has expressed interest in joining ICoCA, in order to better understand its operations and any related human rights risks, as well as meetings with the EU Ambassador to Uganda, the UK High Commission and civil society organisations working in this space.

ICoCA looks forward to deepening engagement across all stakeholder groups in Uganda as we continue working to raise private security industry standards and promote respect for the rights of all affected communities.