Nyimbwa forest depleted under watch of Luweero authorities
What you need to know:
By June 2015, much of the of the 65 hectares forest reserve land, located 35kms north of Kampala, was property of investment companies and individuals after getting land titles from Luweero District Land Board under the close supervision of the district natural resources office
Abdul Habib Issa, 52, is a mixed farmer and resident of Nakatonya village in Nyimbwa Sub-county Luweero District. Two decades ago, Issa was a prominent farmer, growing cereals on his two-acre piece of land throughout the year, which he used to sell in markets around Kampala City to meet the basic needs of his family members.
However, this is no more. Issa blames this whole situation on the sudden change in weather patterns as a result of the depleted nearby Nyimbwa Forest Reserve, which has left the land bare. He is also quick to blame government for failing to reign in as Luweero District officials who parceled out the forest land to establish factories.
“As residents living near the forest, we were never consulted and sensitised about the change in land usage. We were surprised to see factories being established and to make matters worse, some of them release dark smoke emissions which is exposing residents to risks of respiratory infections and cancer,” Issa explains.
Records from the district council and the natural resources office reveal that a team from the ministry of Water and Environment in April, 2014, conducted a sensitisation meeting with district officials including councillors on how to jealously protect local forest reserves and steps which had to be taken if the district wanted to change land use at the different forest reserves under local government in line with the forestry policy.
This was after a tour of the different forest reserves where it was discovered that encroachment was a threat to Nyimbwa forest reserve land.
However, Luweero District ignored the guidelines. Although in many areas where forest reserves have been destroyed ,the culprits have always been local communities who look for extra land for farming and settlement. In the case of Nyimbwa , a section of district top officials were directly involved in the forest giveaway even before the official de-gazzetment process was initiated.
This possibly explains the fact that when district councillors tried to institute investigations into the alleged parceling out of the forest land to industrialists, several district executive members ‘remained unbothered’ and did not want to get involved in passing a resolution calling for an investigation on the alleged land giveaway of Nyimbwa forest reserve.
More than five investment companies including Royal Form, Egypt Uganda Food Security, AYA Group of companies, Umoja Veterans and Ruma Industries Ltd are already registered owners of plots of land in the forest reserve after obtaining land titles rather than user permits as per the guidelines.
By June 2015, much of the of the 65 hectares forest reserve land, located 35kms north of Kampala was property of investment companies and individuals after getting land titles from Luweero District Land Board under the close supervision of the district natural resources office.
While the district council kept records indicating that a section of the forest had been given out to private companies and individuals applying for user permits on the basis of promoting forestry and environment activities, the district land board acting contrary to the set guidelines and also outside the district council mandate had by November 2013 issued land titles to individuals and investment companies who have cleared the entire forest cover and constructed factories and several permanent structures on more than half of the forest land.
In 2009, youth in Luweero District were granted permission and allocated over seven acres for tree planting by the district council as part of a forestry rejuvenation and environment campaign.
The youth, according to one of the youth leaders, Samuel Mulwana, planted more than 2000 pine and eucalyptus trees on a section of the forest land. But the trees were cut down and land cleared for a different purpose without consulting the youth.
Efforts to seek intervention of the district council to cause an inquiry into beneficiaries who had taken over land allocated to youth were frustrated by a section of the district technical staff including some district councillors who possibly had a hand and actually knew the individuals who had cut down trees youth had planted.
The 2009 tree planting campaign that was supported by the National Youth Council, was part of the celebrations to mark the 2009 International Youth Day hosted by Luweero District, according to Mulwana.
The big debate
The debate on the alleged sale and issuance of land titles at the forest reserve land was reawakened at a council meeting on October 28 ,2014 when Luweero Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Eustace Gakwandi confirmed receiving a letter from Uganda Revenue Authority seeking clarification about papers presented by Royal Forms, one of the companies which were allocated land at Nyimbwa.
URA, according to Mr Gakwandi was seeking clarification on the existence of the company and the activities it carries out in the area . At the meeting, the councilors passed a resolution instructing the district staff surveyor, Stephen Sserwambala to initiate a boundary demarcation and redrawing for the forest land at Nyimbwa.
The district council on October 28, 2014 passed a resolution instructing the district staff surveyor, Stephen Sserwambala to initiate a boundary demarcation and redrawing for the forestry land at Nyimbwa.
One of the reasons advanced by the district natural resources officials for the delay in initiating the boundary demarcation for the already encroached forest reserve land was the lack of funds to undertake the exercise which required a team of surveyors and extra manpower among other essential requirements.
Surprisingly, the chairperson Luweero District Land Board, Lule Kiggundu during the same month and year claimed that the district council had withdrawn powers for management of the forest reserve from the district land board through a district council resolution.
The reported user permits, land titles and land giveaway at the forest reserve were now a matter between the district natural resources officer, Hood Luyima and the district forestry officer, Deo Mijumbi. Several district councillors at the meeting claimed that the council resolution to withdraw management powers of forest land from the DLB was the work of a senior technical officer within the natural resources department who had links with the investors who wanted the land for industrial purposes.
“Issues regarding the forest land were very complex and tactfully hidden from some members of the district council,” Erasto Kibirango, a district councillor, representing Bamunanika Sub-county said during a recent interview.
Nadduli says
The allegation by Luweero District councillors was later proved right by outgoing Luweero District chairperson Hajji Abdul Nadduli during a council meeting held on July 23, 2015.
Nadduli told council that the Presidents’ Office (State House) had requested Luweero District to ‘work closely’ with a group of investors who had interest in establishing some industries in Nyimbwa Sub-county were the district was to help them access land at the forest reserve.
“We had already initiated negotiations and allowed these investors to take part of the forest reserve land for the benefit of our youth who were likely to get employed,” Nadduli told the councillors.
Already more than half of the forest reserve land had been cleared by the time Nadduli informed council.
“All the transactions were done behind our back which lends credence to allegations that particular officials were beneficiaries in a deal to parcel out the forest reserve land. We were betrayed by some members of the district council executive. You cannot rule out the allegation that they too (some top district officials) got some share of the land,” councilor Namuyanja revealed during an interview recently.
Activists’ take
Mr John Sseguja, a civil society activist and executive director Community Development Initiative (CODI) says giving away Nyimbwa forest was in bad taste and a clear manifestation that leaders in Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola districts are partly responsible for the disappearing forest cover in what is widely known as Greater Luweero area .
“If the explanations fronted by Luweero District officials are genuine that they plan to buy land to plant there a new forest, then they could have equally used that money to buy land for industries. We pray that the district gets that land as claim, but I highly doubt that ,” Sseguja says.
On April 28, 2016, during a district council meeting, councillors were briefed that the Minister for Water and Environment had instructed Luweero District to purchase alternative land where to plant a new forest before seeking permission for degazzettment of the forest which is already given away. Luweero District Council through the office of the chief administrative officer had a month before written to the Minister of Environment seeking permission to have the forest land degazzeted to pave way for an industrial park.
Luweero District officials according to environmentalists and concerned residents want to legalize a mistake made earlier when they acted against the advice given by the Ministry of Water and Environment including the commandant of the Environment Police in April 2014. “ One wonders which approval they want now when they have already parceled the forest land .It doesn’t make sense at all.” Sseguja adds
In April 2014, a team from the ministry of Water and Environment led by Charles Byaruhanga visited Luweero District and held a consultative meeting and later sensitisation of district officials regarding policy, laws and management of local government forest reserves. Aware of the encroachment on the 160 hectare forest land at Nyimbwa under the direct watch of Luweero District officials, the ministry team outlined guidelines for which the district could change land use for forest.
This included seeking approval of National Environment Management Authority for environment impact assessment, possession of an alternative land with a land title for tree planting, council minute resolution from the district, consultation and sensitisation of the local communities surrounding the forest reserve about the new programme, seeking approval from Parliament, legal advice from the Solicitor General after which Parliament debates whether to degazzete the forest or not. According to Sarah Namuyanja, a district female councilor representing Butumtumula Sub-county, the visiting Ministry team recommended for survey and boundary demarcation of the forest .
The visit and sensitisation meeting by Ministry of Water and Environment team was part of a follow up on the recommendations made by an investigation team led by the Commandant of the Environment Protection Police, Taire Idwege.
According to the terms of reference, the team was to investigate the alleged encroachment on the forest reserve land located at Nyimbwa Sub-county and later release a report. The Minister for Water and Environment sanctioned the investigation after receiving reports about land giveaway at the forest reserve by Luweero district authorities.
OTHER INTERVENTIONS
In March this year, the issue of destroying Nyimbwa forest was brought on the floor of Parliament by Kitgum Woman MP, Beatrice Anywar ,who indicated that local authorities in Luweero had signed off the deal in total disregard of the Paris Declaration on Environment. Although speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga tasked government to explain how the forest was given away , the latter is yet to give Parliament a report .
NFA manages 506 forest reserves across the country, but many of them have been destroyed and converted into plantations. According to a recent report by Food and Agricultural Organisation, 200,000 hectares are destroyed every year down from 92,000 hectares two decades ago. The report says the rate at which forests are disappearing outstrips the rate of tree planting, which is estimated at only 7,000 hectares annually .
Other statistics show that from 1971 to 1987, Uganda lost 50 per cent of our forests, including virtually all primary forests. Between 1990 and 2010, an average of 88,150 hectares were lost or 1.86 per cent per year. So in total, between 1990 and 2010, the country lost 37.1 per cent of its forest cover. This means Uganda is left with only 13 per cent of the forest cover it had in 1970.