Kenyans Protest KCB Involvement in EACOP, Stand in Solidarity with #KCB11

This week, on Tuesday, the 27th, Kenyans gathered at Jeevanjee Gardens in Nairobi to protest the decision by the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Group to finance the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) through KCB Uganda.

EACOP pipeline, if completed, will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline, cutting across two countries from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania. The project is marred by human rights violations and environmental destruction, and will contribute to an alarming 379 million tonnes of CO2e emissions throughout its lifecycle.

Following the announcement by EACOP Ltd about closing their first tranche of external funding, which named KCB as one of five other banks providing this funding, KCB has come into sharp focus for EACOP-impacted communities in Uganda, Tanzania, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), both community-based and national CSOs working directly with these frontline communities, as well as human rights, environmental, and climate activists in the region who have criticised their decision to be involved in this project. However, things took a strange turn when 11 Ugandan activists — now known as #TheKCB11 or #KCB11 — were lured into the KCB Uganda basement and dramatically arrested by the police, who ambushed them. The call for their release has resonated across the region and was the driving force behind the protest in Kenya.

Digital actions and protests targeting KCB

Despite a last-minute cancellation by the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) of the Central Police Station, Nairobi, the protesters, made up of climate activists, human rights advocates, and members of social justice centres, did not immediately go home. Instead, they transformed the gathering space into a podium for action, reading out their letter to the few media outlets present to cover the event.

The OCPD, in rescinding an earlier decision acknowledging the protest, stated that they were unaware the protest would also involve demands for the release of the #KCB11—the 11 Ugandan activists jailed after being ambushed by Ugandan police at the KCB Uganda basement — they requested the organizers draft another letter, including this aspect of the protest, and provide time for consultation with the foreign affairs ministry, as it involved calling for the release of foreigners.

The protesters highlighted KCB Group’s hypocrisy in funding such a controversial project through their Uganda branch and demanded that they withdraw the criminal trespass charge against the 11 activists.

This protest was the culmination of a three-day digital action that began with an X (Twitter storm) to raise awareness about the #KCB11 and the peculiar charge of criminal trespass, followed by direct LinkedIn engagement and requests for supporters to email the bank and strategic partners, including British International Investment (BII), which has since distanced itself from KCB Bank's decision to support the EACOP project.

British International Investment distances itself from EACOP

In an email responding to our inquiries and those of coalition partners, they stated, “Our fossil fuel investment policy prohibits BII and those receiving our capital from using the finance we provide to make investments in fossil fuel projects such as EACOP. We maintain scrupulous monitoring of our investees and local bank partners, such as KCB Kenya, to ensure that our capital is only used for the projects it is intended to support.”

They insisted their partnership was with KCB Kenya and not KCB Uganda, but we contend that they still have a role in urging KCB Group, which owns both KCB Kenya and Uganda, to do the right thing and divest from this harmful project.

KCB, on the other hand, chose to remain silent regarding their controversial decision to support the destructive EACOP project and their role in the #KCB11 arrests. Instead, they focused on profits during their AGM on Friday, the 23rd of May, where they reported a profit after tax of USD 127.94 million (KShs. 16.53 billion at current exchange rates) in the first quarter of this year (2025)—completely unbothered that 11 young Ugandans had spent about a month in jail for attempting to deliver a letter urging reconsideration of the EACOP project in favor of sustainable development.

KCB Bank should not rest easy, as this EACOP project will undermine its public image. Already, the UN Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders warned that it is deeply troubling when a large multinational company like TotalEnergies fails to uphold its public statements and policies despite incontrovertible evidence of human rights abuses on the ground, in a letter addressed to TotalEnergies and its shareholders ahead of their recent AGM on May 23rd.

Legal delays

Sadly, the #KCB11 will remain in jail until June 12th due to the Annual Prosecutors Symposium scheduled from the 26th to the 30th of May and Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) team-building activities that have forced the adjournment of all criminal matters.

It’s worth noting that the Ugandan judiciary has come under scrutiny, with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in the Ugandan Parliament accusing them of favoring prosecution and overlooking human rights abuses.

Like the MPs noted, we also read mischief in these delaying tactics and call on the Uganda Law Society and the East Africa Law Society (EALS) to investigate the matter so that courts remain a place of refuge for those seeking justice rather than for the rich and connected.

The Kenyans who protested KCB’s involvement in the controversial EACOP project have made it clear to the bank that they need to stand with the communities, the climate, and the environment over short-term profits.

NB: Nine activists under the group Students Against EACOP Uganda were arrested on May 21st while attempting to deliver a petition to KCB bank, also demanding they withdraw financial support for the controversial EACOP