Bugoma forest: What the anti- sugarcane squad is not saying

If you are in Uganda, you might by now be thinking that Bugoma Central Forest Reserve is about to be razed and replaced with sugarcane. How unfortunate, right? Here is what you are not being told.

There are three facts about the Hoima Sugar Limited land in Kikuube District, western Uganda.
Fact 1: The 21.54sq miles of land is Kyangwali Ancestral Land and not part of the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, as confirmed by an April 2019 High Court ruling.

Fact 2: After Bunyoro Kingdom got back their land (ebyaitu) from government, they sought to put it to good use for financial benefit for the kingdom. They entered into a lease agreement with Hoima Sugar for development.
Fact 3: That although Hoima Sugar wanted to use the entire land (21.54 sq miles) leased to them for sugarcane growing, Nema approved cane growing on only 9.24 sq miles of grassland (non-forested land) deemed fit for human activity.

So why are some activists fighting hard to present Bunyoro Kingdom land, which has no forest on it, as part of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve?

It is because the framers of our laws envisaged a scenario where man would need to move some trees and grass for the very survival of humanity, they put in place a mechanism that would ensure that is not done to the detriment of the environment and those who survive on it: The Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

Nema’s role is to regulate sustainable development and that is precisely the reason it managed to differentiate where the Bugoma Forest Reserve is, and didn’t touch it, and even went ahead and reduced the acreage for cane growing from the 21sq miles to just 9.24 sq miles.
Instead, the sugar company has been asked to plant a buffer forest on 3.13 sq miles that border Bugoma fores.

This buffer forest to be planted is to ensure that activities on the grassland do not eat up the natural habitat of the reserve forest; 1.206 sq miles of its land, which would otherwise have been used to breed high grade cane, for urban development; put part of the land to eco-tourism use: Eco-Tourism Centre (1.97 sq miles), Cultural Site (0.156Sq miles), Natural Reserve Forest and Nature Walk ways (6.17Sq miles).

Those, surely, are not actions of a project that is set out to destroy Bugoma forest. Instead, the company has, painfully, had to accept a decision to have its cane growing acreage reduced by 13 sq miles albeit the existence of a court ruling. So why are activists alleging that Bugoma forest is being given away for sugarcane growing?

They know the project is not on the Forest reserve. They know Bunyoro Kingdom acted within the law in choosing to put their land to use by leasing it to investors. But, spreading falsehoods works for them better than the benefits the project is going to bring to the community.

Among other benefits, the project is expected to create employment opportunities and contribute revenue to Kikuube District and national Treasury in form of taxes of various categories and to the acquisition of skills for those employed on the project.

The environment is important and indeed no one is planning to destroy any forest. The narrative of forest destruction is simply the imagination of those who eat off campaigns masquerading as environment saving initiatives.

Ms Nduhukire is the lead strategist at Outcome Communications and spokesperson Hoima Sugar.
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