Africa-Press – Uganda. Government has rejected a proposal by the Mukono District council to degazette Namyooya and Kifu forest reserves.
A September 2 letter by Mr Collins Oloya from the office of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment to Rev Peter Bakaluba, the Mukono District chairperson, states that issues of degazettment are at government level and not for individuals and companies.
This followed a request by the previous district council and Victorious Car Bond to degazette Namyooya forest to enable them carry out various activities.
The previous district council officials had argued that the population is expanding and, therefore, there was need to degazette the forest reserves.
But Mr Oloya argued that their analysis lacked merit since it meant that forests and trees must be cleared for every infrastructural development yet in many countries with the highest population, forest cover continues to increase.
“You seem not to envisage a forest in the middle of an urban setting even with the best example in Nairobi City (Kenya) where they have Karura forest with over 1,100 hectares in size. Today government policy is to tackle the impacts of climate change and advocate for greener pastures as opposed to brown cities,” he wrote.
Mr Oloya further noted that when Parliament requested the ministry to come up with a technical report on 16 forest reserves that were proposed for degazettement, they found that the districts didn’t meet the procedural and legal requirements.
Namyooya and Kifu measure 389 hectares and 1,419 hectares respectively.
Mr Oloya clarified that the government’s development agenda is enshrined in the Uganda Green Growth Development strategy, 2017 to restore Uganda’s natural capital and for inclusive development and greening Uganda’s economy through Tree Planting Strategy, 2014.
“One form of development must not be at the expense of another. Peri-urban forest reserves were gazette for a purpose and their functions must be safeguarded for a quality and healthy life of the urban population,” he wrote.
He also noted that as Mukono grows and municipalities grow, these peri-urban forests become more relevant natural resources and valuable for urban dwellers.
Rev Bakaluba in an interview with this publication last week acknowledged receipt of the ministry’s letter and said he too is against any plans to degazette Namyooya forest reserve.
He noted that while his predecessors had mooted a plan to degazette the forest reserve, he will not allow anybody to tamper with the natural resource.
“I really don’t support degazettment of Namyooya forest reserve because this is the only forest we have in Mukono and we want to preserve it for prosperity. The government committed itself to international charters on environment and we must be seen to put it into practice instead of backtracking on our commitment,” Rev Bakaluba said.
He added that there are some top government officials who are using their clout to push for the degazettement of the forest reserve.
Sources told this publication that the proposal to degazette the forests is being popularised by a prominent Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) in Mukono, who is lobbying councillors to have it passed by council.
Councillors privy to the matter said the MP’s proposal to degazette the forest reserves is hinged on the need to establish development projects including a stadium, youth centre, and council offices.
However, the councillors, who talked to this publication on condition of anonymity, allege that the MP is being used by top government officials and shrewd businessmen to divide the contested land among themselves.
This, they say, is because the legislator was previously against degazetting the forest reserves.
The speaker of Mukono Central Division, Mr Allan Mawanda, told this publication in an interview last week that he and his colleagues will not be intimidated by those who want the natural resources degazetted.
“Those who want these natural resources given away are now intimidating and blackmailing us. It is true they mentored us into politics but that can’t stop us from fighting against the degazetting the forest reserves because they are a national asset and not an individual’s or Mukono’s property,” he said.
Mr Mawanda said he and his team are ready to go to court to challenge the degazettment in case it is passed by the district council.
The Executive Director of National Forestry Authority (NFA), Mr Tom Okurut, said the body is aware of the matter.
“Yes we are in the know and are part of the response made by the Ministry of Water to the district,” he said in a text last week.
In the letter, the ministry reminds Mukono District that government’s policy on forestry is to protect all forests in accordance with the Constitution.
The Constitution, the letter adds, vests powers in the central government and local governments to hold in trust and protect forest reserves for all the citizens of Uganda.
“…in this case, the supreme law doesn’t envisage the degazettement of natural resources. Also, section 44 (4) of the Land Act states that the government or a local government shall not lease out or otherwise alienate any natural resource referred to in this section,” the letter reads.
The letter adds: “Ministry of Water and Environment doesn’t recommend degazettement because it will still require acquisition of alternative land in the same ecological zone for gazettement which is very laborious and costly”.
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