Busoga leaders defy Museveni on wetlands

Leaders in the Busoga sub-region have rejected a directive by President Museveni to evict encroachers of wetlands and lakes.

In February 2024, President Museveni, during the Tarehe Sita celebrations in Bugweri District, warned that wetland degradation is unprofitable and a threat to global climate.

While speaking at the launch of Isenda Hill and Bisira Hill as new tourist sites in Busoga over the weekend, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, Ms Rebecca Kadaga said it’s hard to separate Basoga from the water bodies.

“Everywhere I go, I tell the leaders including the President that Busoga is a great lake, anything concerning the lake also concerns Busoga and wetlands are also in the Busoga sub-region,’’ she said.

Ms Kadaga who also serves as Minister for East African Community Affairs, said they are wondering about the future of Basoga after the President's directive of chasing people from the water bodies.

“They first chased us from the lakes and wetlands, now, silverfish has also been banned; the sugarcane prices are very low, and farmers are counting losses. Where do you want Basoga to go?’’ she said.

She advises the government to sensitize the residents on how to co-exist with the wetlands rather than chasing them away.

The Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom, who is also Executive Director of the National Planning Authority, Mr Joseph Muvawala said Basoga can’t exist without the lake.

“The lake is the survival of Basoga. The illegal fishing nets are not smuggled into the country by Basoga but through government officials. The president should first arrest those officials so that people don’t access them,’’ he said.

The Jinja North Constituency Member of Parliament, Mr David Aga Isabirye said people are being chased from the wetlands yet it is their source of income.

“The most affected people are those from Kaliro and Namatumba districts. People have been using these wetlands for rice growing to earn a living,’’ he said.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Vice Chairperson for the Eastern Region, Ms Proscovia Salaam Musumba, said the government can’t take away the marshland from Basoga because it is where their survival is based.

“Busoga is largely a wetland, we are between River Nile and Mpologoma, Lake Kyoga and Victoria, and we are largely marshland. You can take away the hills wherever they are but you can’t take away the marshlands from us. This is what we have, what makes us, where we inhabit and survive from,’’ she said.