KAMPALA — The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kampala city leaders, led by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, have agreed to continue with the eviction of illegal encroachers from the Lubigi Wetland System. The decision was made during a meeting held at NEMA headquarters on June 24, 2024.
The meeting, which was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Nakawa Division Mayor, councilors, and the District Police Commander, resolved that the restoration exercise should continue, but with the local council leaders mobilizing their communities to vacate the wetlands peacefully.
NEMA has issued restoration orders to encroachers, giving them 21 days to comply or challenge the authority in court. The orders require the encroachers to stop all activities that degrade the wetland, vacate the area, remove all materials dumped in the wetland, restore the degraded portion to its original state, demolish all structures erected in the wetland, and desist from conducting any activities that degrade the environment.
The meeting also resolved that NEMA should work closely with local governments and the Ministry of Water and Environment in the ongoing restoration exercise, and that a Natural Resources and Environment Committee for KCCA be constituted by July 15, 2024, to help coordinate environment activities with NEMA.
NEMA has called upon all affected persons to remain calm and law-abiding during the exercise, and peaceful consultative meetings will be held between the government and the affected persons to ensure a peaceful process.
The restoration exercise is part of the government’s efforts to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. The Lubigi Wetland System is an important ecological system that supports biodiversity and provides ecosystem services, including flood control and water filtration.
