Locals protest over Barifa forest eco-tourism project
The former Arua Municipality MP, Mr Kassiano Wadri, addresses the press during the demonstration on Tuesday against Barifa Central Forest Reserve eco-tourism project. PHOTO | FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
- Residents and leaders say the eco-toursim project is a ploy to grab forest land.
Residents and leaders of Arua City have protested a decision by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to give the Maracha County MP , Mr Denis Oguzu Lee, 10 acres of Barifa Forest land to construct eco- tourism site.
On Tuesday last week, residents led by the former Arua Municipality MP, Mr Kassiano Wadri, and other leaders demonstrated in Arua City over the project.
Mr Kassiano Wadri, said: “We do not hate development but this forest should not be destroyed because of money-hungry people and land grabbers. The laws should be followed. It would be better for Parliament to degazette the forest, then the city authority takes charge of allocating plots of land to people for planned development.”
Mr Wadri added: “We shall be here to protect the forest. We do not need double standards to be played by the ministries of Local Government and Environment just because people who have money want to finish this forest.”
Mr Oguzu, who reportedly secured a temporary licence from NFA to construct the eco-tourism site in the forest, said in a sperate occasion recently that the site would be built on temporary basis.
“Under our nation’s legal framework, anyone is entitled to benefit from such licensing as long as it is through transparent public procurement process,” he said.
However, the plans submitted by Mr Oguzu to the city physical planning committee, which Daily Monitor has seen, indicate permanent structures while be constructed on the forest land.
The plan indicates that the eco-tourism site will have tarmacked roads connecting from hotels, swimming pool, health clubs, manufacturing facility, stores, energy plant, composing plant, among others.
The city council agrees with Mr Wadri’s demand that the forest be degazetted to pave way for an eco-city, whose plans were approved by the city authorities in 2013 but are pending parliamentary approval.
The Parliament deferred the degazettment, citing loopholes which the council is currently working on.
The Arua City mayor, Mr Sam Nyakua, said: “Much as this forest is managed by NFA, the communities have a say on it because even our plan is to have it gazetted then people are allocated plots to develop it. We do not want to see people grabbing each portion without proper plans. We totally reject this pressure to allow us accept the eco-tourism plan.”
The Public Relations Officer for NFA, Ms Juliet K Mubi, in a December 20 statement said NFA followed the right procedure in granting the forest land to Mr Oguzu.
She stated in her letter: “As guided by Section 42 of the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act 2003, in 2017, through an open, fair and competitive process, the (NFA) invited applications from potential investors to develop an ecotourism site in Arua CFR.”
She added: “Denis Oguzu Lee emerged the successful bidder and was offered a licence to develop part of Arua CFR as a forest park. The offer to Oguzu was, therefore, done in accordance with the law and due processes were followed.”
Background
In 2010 towards the 2011 elections, Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, aka Salim Saleh, President Museveni’s younger brother, camped in the forest in order to ‘coordinate various projects,’ causing protests from residents and environmentalists, who claimed it was an attempt to grab forest land.
Gen Saleh left the forest after the complaints.
