
Ms Diana Nakiganda, 37, with her child at their makeshift shelter on June 18, 2024 after their house was demolished during the evictions from Lubigi Wetland. PHOTO/NOELINE NABUKENYA
Uganda’s environment and climate change sector presented a mixed bag of fortunes over this year. The key highlights include the floods that ravaged at least 14 or more districts, the eviction of encroachers from Lubigi wetland, the Bulambuli landslides that killed 36 people and left more than 100 people missing.
While the earlier part of the year witnessed some calm, in April, the situation changed, with the Elgon Subregion in Eastern Uganda experiencing heavy rainfall, which resulted in floods, hailstorms, and landslides in various areas, including Mbale, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Bukedea, Butaleja, Sironko, Bududa, and Namisindwa.
Data from the Relief Web said a total of 18,323 people were affected, including thousands of displaced families, with 1,129 houses and several croplands and infrastructures completely destroyed.
The rains intensified in the first half of May, causing water levels to rise and rivers such as Manafwa, Lwakhakha, Sironko, Mpologoma, Awoja, Nbuyonga, and Namatala.
Relief Web said unprecedented flooding occurred, especially between May 7, 2024 and May 11, 2024. In a space of 11 days, a total of 39,185 people (8,011 households) were affected by floods in 14 districts in Uganda. A total of 3,080 households were displaced.
Data from the Relief Web said the widespread impact of floods overwhelmed the response capacity of Uganda Red Cross Society and other humanitarian actors.
Deaths
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as many as 49 people died, 28 went missing at the time, and 296 others were injured. In addition, almost 18,500 people were displaced and 39,185 affected across more than 15 districts of the country.
Ntoroko District also witnessed its ever-recorded highest levels of flooding in August, impacting 2,355 households comprising of 11,775 people.
In September, heavy rain downpour caused severe flooding in Kasese District after River Nyamwamba burst its banks affecting residents in Nyamwamba Division. According to the Uganda Red Cross, as of September 9, two people had died, and 1,469 households affected in 13 villages and more than 120 homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of families without shelter.
In the eastern Uganda district of Bulambuli, following heavy rains on November 27, flooding and landslides hit the area, killing 36 people, with more than 100 missing. The roads were cut-off by flood waters, including the main road from Sironko Town to Kapchowa Town, a bridge swept away and the River Simu burst its banks.

Members of Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) in collaboration with local authorities and community members work to rescue survivors after a landslide in Bulambuli District on November 28, 2024. PHOTO | REUTERS
At the time, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) indicated that 125 people are unaccounted for, and at least 36 people have been killed by landslide.
Lubigi evictions
In June, residents of Lubigi wetlands woke up to a rude awakening when officials from the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) backed by police evicted them from the homes.
The evictions left thousands of people homeless and rendered more than 1,500 learners unable to attend lessons. At least 16 schools were demolished during the eviction.
The highlight of the eviction was epitomised by the arrest of a 72-year-old Rose Namuddu, a resident of Nansana West II Zone, Nabweru Parish, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District, after she erected a temporary tent on the piece of the land she was evicted from and sent to Luzira. The move drew widespread condemnation from across different sectors, with human rights activists accusing Nema of gross human rights
violations while evicting the residents from the wetlands.
Mr Andrew Byaruhanga, the executive director of Resource Rights Africa, at the time said while Nema has a legal mandate to protect the environment, the methods used to evict the encroachers were grossly inhuman by disregarding the fundamental rights and well-being of the affected communities.
He said in cases where evictions are considered justified, they should be carried out in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of international human rights law and by the general principles of reasonableness and proportionality, which he said in the case of Lubigi evictions were lacking.
A total of 315 affected households were evicted during the exercise. Under Section 55 of the National Environment Act, 2019, encroaching on wetlands is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail, a fine of up to Shs600 million, or both upon conviction.
However, Dr Barirega Akankwasah, the executive director of NEMA, stood his ground and said they acted within the law by evicting the encroachers. Air Quality Standards Regulation The government through statutory instrument 2024 No. 22 introduced the National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 2024, to curb the rampant air pollution in the country.
Part II on general prohibitions Section 4, sub-section (1) provides that a person shall not—(a) from any source or activity, emit or cause to be emitted objectionable matter or obnoxious smells including smoke, gases, vapours, fumes, grit, dust or other matter capable of being dispersed or suspended in the atmosphere contrary to these Regulations; (b) release or cause to be released any hazardous substance into the air; or (c) act in a way that directly or indirectly causes, or is likely to cause immediate or subsequent air pollution in levels that exceed the permissible emission limits.
2) A person shall not cause emissions into the air beyond permissible limits or by the use of a substance or product banned or restricted under the Act, Regulations made under the Act, any other written law or environmental standards.
Data from the Air Quality Index that monitors the quality of air in Ugandan cities and towns indicated that Kampala is the most polluted city in the country, followed by Masaka city. Climate Change Adaptation Plan In August, Uganda became the second country after Nepal to launch the Climate Change Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP), a comprehensive strategy aimed at bolstering the nation’s health system When devastating floods, land resilience against the impacts of climate change.
Officials from the Ministry of Health said adapting to climate change presents a substantial financial burden, with Africa projected to need up to $2.8 trillion by 2030 to fulfil its commitments under the Paris Agreement, according to the African Development Bank.
In Uganda, the Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP), requires an estimated $63 million by 2030, according to government officials.
Uganda’s HNAP covers 10 components based on the WHO framework aimed at building a climate-resilient low-carbon health system, which is capable of anticipating, responding to, coping with, recovering from and adapting to climate-related shocks and stress, while minimising greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impacts to deliver quality care and protect the health and well-being of present and future generations of Uganda.
The 3rd Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rukia Isanga Nakadama, said the H-NAP marked a milestone in Uganda’s response to the escalating climate crisis, particularly within the health sector and that this ambitious plan underscored the urgent need to address climate-related health challenges and strengthen the country’s resilience.
She said Uganda has committed to addressing climate change as a signatory to key global agreements, including the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement, and Kyoto Protocol and that the government had established supportive policies and laws, such as the National Climate Change Policy (2015), the Climate Change Act (2021), the Nationally Determined Contributions (2022), and Vision 2040.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health data show that malaria remains the leading cause of illness among pregnant women and children under five.
Uganda also faces critical challenges, with 81 percent of the population lacking access to safe water, and only 35 percent having basic sanitation facilities. This results in approximately 19,700 child deaths annually due to diarrheal diseases—equivalent to 54 children that die every day from poor sanitation.
Data from the Ministry of Health also shows that malnutrition further contributes to infant and child mortality, with 12 percent of infants born underweight.
Pollution, according to figures from Makerere University School of Public Health contributed to the worsening situation, with more than 1,000 people dying because of the pollution-related causes in 2021.
Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the minister of Health, said there was a need for the government to introduce climate change resilience in all infrastructure programmes being rolled out, while Mr Alfred Okot Okidi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment, said all ministries must comply with the climate-smart budgeting which required that all the budgets include components for climate resilience.
Mr Okidi said the ministry has been encouraging the population to take care of their responsibilities because the fight against climate change is not just a government responsibility but a responsibility for everyone.
COP29 Outcome
While there was a huge dive between the global north and global south during the Conference of the Parties (COP29) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, one of the positives from the same was the agreement on the rules for a global carbon market, which followed more than a decade of work, outlined the final components that will determine how carbon markets will operate under the Paris Agreement.
This includes the full implementation of a new carbon credit mechanism called the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism and country-to-country transfer of credits, known as Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes.
For Uganda, this was a step in the right direction with the country’s carbon market being described as a frontrunner on the continent, with a portfolio of over 33 million carbon credits.
Uganda is currently working on establishing country-based exchanges and marketplaces for carbon credits, and also finalising its carbon markets guidelines and regulations, which will regulate domestic carbon trading.
At COP29, Mr Alfred Okidi, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said the agreement on carbon markets was a welcome development, which came at the right time for the country. He said Uganda has in the past expressed concern about the Conference of Parties’ delayed decisions to fully operationalise Article 6 on markets. He said under Article 6.4, Uganda’s position has been that carbon offsetting activities in least-developed countries should be exempted from contributing the share of proceeds to the adaptation fund to attract more investment.
Several other key stakeholders also said the agreement plays a very important role for Uganda, and others n the Global South to trade carbon credits in order to meet their climate commitments. They said the carbon markets agreement means Uganda and other African nations can among other things, now voluntarily collaborate with other countries to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through broader carbon markets.
Other outcomes from COP29
The Global South, which for all these years has been on the receiving end of the negative impacts of climate change orchestrated by the pollution by the Global North countries, put up a fight to demand for the fair share of climate financing.
The final hours of COP29 saw a concerted pressure from the most vulnerable developing countries resulting in an improved outcome on the finance target, with a decision to set a goal of at least $300 billion per year by 2035 for developing countries to advance their climate action.
This, however, fell short of the $1.3 trillion they had demanded from the developed nations that have greatly contributed to the global pollution. Sources who attended the negotiations said it took place against a backdrop of continued misalignment of public financial flows with the Paris Agreement targets.
Key on the issues besides the negotiations on the new climate finance goal, was how to take forward COP 28’s landmark energy package in Dubai, where governments agreed on the need to triple renewable energy capacity, double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.
During COP29, parties failed to agree on how to take forward the so-called “UAE consensus” on the energy package, with talks pushed to next year.