Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has warned that the country is facing a serious environmental crisis, with unusually high temperatures being recorded.
Ms Among made the remarks during a parliamentary session where she urged MPs to take action to protect the environment.
“The current heatwave is a stark reminder that climate change is real and we must take deliberate steps to mitigate its effects,” she said.
MPs supported Ms Among’s call, with many attributing the heatwave to the depletion of Uganda’s forests.
The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, David Bahati, told parliament that the government had begun the process of compensating people who are vacating wetlands in order to protect the environment.
But opposition MPs warned that more needs to be done to address the crisis. The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, called on the government to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle climate change.
The State Minister for Water and Environment, Beatrice Anywar, acknowledged that the government was facing challenges in responding to the crisis, including a lack of funding.
“We are doing our best with the resources we have, but we need more support to effectively address the impacts of climate change,” she said.
