By Dr. Kato Abooki
Introduction
The popular narrative that oil was discovered in Uganda in 2006 by Hardman/Tullow is historically inaccurate. The colonial document you hold – Summary of Progress of the Geological Survey of Uganda for the Years 1919 to 1929, Entebbe, 1931 – proves that petroleum in Bunyoro was scientifically documented, sampled and tested in London over a century ago. The most realistic history is in three phases: Banyoro indigenous discovery, colonial scientific confirmation, and modern commercial drilling.
1. Indigenous Discovery by the Banyoro
Long before British rule, communities around Lake Albert knew of oil. The 1931 report itself admits: “The occurrence of a petroleum seepage north of Kibiro has long been known”. The Banyoro of Kibiro observed black asphaltic oil seeping together with hot springs where they were already making salt. The oil was used to waterproof baskets and as medicine. This was not “discovery” by geologists, but observation by natives.
2. Colonial Scientific Confirmation (1913-1931)
The first formal step was recorded by E.J. Wayland, the first Director of Geological Survey of Uganda from January 1919.
– 1913: William Brittlebank was granted the first oil concession in the Protectorate.
– 1920-1925: Wayland carried out detailed mapping of the Bunyoro shoreline – Kibiro, Mswa, and Kibuku seeps. His findings were published as Petroleum in Uganda, Memoir No. 1, Geol. Survey Uganda, 1925 – the first edition, with a second edition in 1926.
– 1919-1929 Summary (Published 1931): This book you have consolidates 10 years of work. It states that after 1925, five additional seepages were found on the Belgian Congo side of Lake Albert by Belgian geologist M. Max Delpierre, and one new intermittent seepage was confirmed by Beeby Thompson and Simmons at the hot spring at Kibiro on the Bunyoro shore.
This period is the realistic “discovery” in Western scientific terms.
3. Laboratory Proof That It Was Real Oil
The 1931 report is important because it does not just say “we saw oil.” It provides a full chemical analysis done at the Imperial Institute, London, from the Kibiro asphaltic seep:
Petroleum soluble in acetone: 56.8%
Asphaltine matter: 42.5%
Sulphur: 0.31%
Specific gravity: 0.961 at 15°C
Calorific value: 10,332 small calories.
On fractional distillation it yielded 1.1% light petroleum, 12.4% kerosene (flash point 60°C), 55.6% lubricating oils and 30.9% residue coke and pitch. This is heavy, asphaltic crude – exactly the same type of crude that TotalEnergies and CNOOC are producing today in the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects in Bunyoro. The colonial government therefore knew it was not a hoax.
4. From Seepage to Drilling
The 1931 report directly led to exploration drilling. In 1938, the first deep well in East Africa, Waki-B1 at Butiaba in Bunyoro, was drilled by the African-European Investment Company and encountered bitumen. This was followed by shallow correlation wells at Kibiro.
Conclusion: What is the Most Realistic Narrative?
The most realistic and referenced history is:
Banyoro salt-makers discovered oil seeps at Kibiro centuries ago. British geologist E.J. Wayland scientifically described and published it in 1925, with a full government summary in 1931. The oil was chemically proven in London. Commercial drilling started in 1938. The 2006 discovery was therefore not a discovery, but a re-discovery and confirmation of commercial viability using modern seismic technology.
Your 1931 report is the bridge between indigenous knowledge and modern industry.
References
1. Uganda Protectorate. (1931). Summary of Progress of the Geological Survey of Uganda for the Years 1919 to 1929. Entebbe: Government Printer, Uganda. p.142-145. [Your copy, Price Shs.4].
2. Wayland, E.J. (1925). Petroleum in Uganda. Memoir No. 1, Geological Survey of Uganda. Entebbe. [Footnote cited in 1931 report, p.143].
3. British Geological Survey Archive. (n.d.). Uganda – Colonial Geological Surveys 1947-1956: The investigation of the occurrences of petroleum in the Lake Albert rift valley was listed as a principal achievement of the Survey.
4. Daily Monitor. (Dec 30, 2013). Tracing Uganda’s oil journey from 1913-2013. Records first concession to William Brittlebank in November 1913.
