Activists express concern over Kenya commercial bank support for EACOP, condemn arrest of 11 activists
Activists from the #StopEACOP coalition in Tanzania delivered a letter to the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Dar es Salaam offices earlier on Wednesday 14 May 2025. In the letter, they express concern over the bank’s decision to support the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.
The environment and climate change activists also condemned the arrest of 11 activists from Uganda who were arrested at KCB Uganda on April 23rd and remain in prison until a bail hearing scheduled for May 27th. The 11 activists were lured to the basement of the building by a KCB Bank Uganda official, where they were ambushed by the police and violently arrested.
“We thank our Tanzanian comrades for standing with us. These arrests reveal a dangerous pattern of banks colluding with state forces to criminalise dissent. We call on commercial bank regulators to investigate KCB Uganda’s role in this abuse. Financial institutions cannot be allowed to undermine human rights with impunity,” said Brian Atuheire, with AIFE Uganda.
The formal letter presented to KCB Tanzania draws the contradiction in the bank’s involvement in the destructive EACOP pipeline and their own sustainability policies, including their commitment to fund projects that protect communities’ environments. The letter points out that the pipeline will go through the Lake Victoria basin, and it poses a risk to the more than 40 million East Africans who depend on the lake.
“KCB’s hypocrisy is staggering. On one hand, they tout commitments to sustainability and community welfare; on the other, they bankroll a project that devastates ecosystems and silences dissent. ESG principles aren’t just PR tools—they’re legal and moral obligations. KCB must choose: Will it be a leader in ethical banking or a poster child for greenwashing?” said Richard Senkondo, of the Organization for Community Engagement (OCE), Tanzania.
The letter highlights that more than 40 major international banks have either publicly distanced themselves from EACOP or adopted policies preventing their involvement in similar projects, indicating a global financial shift away from fossil fuel investments.
“Banks like KCB are playing with fire. Over 40 global financiers have already rejected EACOP due to its risks, yet KCB insists on tying its reputation to this sinking ship. The arrests in Uganda expose the brutal lengths banks will go to suppress accountability. The financial sector is gambling with our future by propping up fossil fuels at the expense of our people and planet. The entire sector should be reassessed for the role it could and should play in the future we want to build,” said Zaki Mamdoo, the StopEACOP Campaign Coordinator.
