Is oil and gas discovery a generational curse? The plight of children in land compensation dispossession Uganda

Abstract

Incidents of land compensation dispossession and resettlement due to oil development programs are an increasing concern in the authority bearer countries however little is known about the extensive adverse effects on children as a result of compensation dispossession and resettlement programs. This paper examines the plight of the children in a displaced and resettled situation as wedged by women mothers’ loss of livelihoods. A qualitative approach with the use of in-depth interviews was majorly used to collect data and the research was guided by the principle of Confidentiality.

The results predict a generational curse and we argue that once there are no stable women mothers in the families with stables sources of livelihoods, deprived auxiliary public infrastructure, the children in the households and the entire society stifle both short and long-term social, economic, and general wellbeing.

We recommend proper compensation management focusing on the inclusion of all categories of people where children's essential and basic needs are among the priorities to reduce the prospects of generational curse. The government may need to put more efforts into important public amenities to avail necessary services to reduce future adverse effects on the children thus controlling the escalation of the generational curse.