Restoration of Kamurojo wetland systems, Lwakhakha sub-catchment

Edoku and his neighbours use the water to irrigate their crops during the dry season, water their cattle, and also for domestic purposes. The grass planted around the entrance to the water tank filters the water as it flows in. 

“After the tank was built, I earned Shs700,000 from my harvest of tomatoes. I have used the income to start constructing a permanent house. Previously, I was cultivating rice and grazing animals in the Omagoro wetland. I also harvested grass to thatch my home.  But now, we are abandoning grass-thatched houses because it is becoming more difficult to find grass,” he explains. 

The villagers have also abandoned rice growing in the wetland which is now returning to its natural status. Eng Steven Balayo, a water officer in the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), says two underground water tanks were constructed in the area, both with a capacity of 22.4 cubic meters of water. 

The tanks have an abstraction or retaining wall that directs water into them. The wall is reinforced with composite to accommodate and resist the force of the running stormwater. We have also constructed six retention ponds and 15 kilometers of diversion channels. The ponds harvest running water flowing towards people’s gardens,” he says. 

Under the Enhancing Resilience of Communities to Climate Change through Catchment Based Integrated Management of Water and Related Resources in Uganda (EURECCCA) project, the MWE has rehabilitated the degraded Kamurojo wetland system in the Awoja Catchment in eastern Uganda.
 
The Awoja Catchment, which is found in the Lake Kyoga Basin and borders Mt Elgon, is the largest in the Kyoga Water Management Zone (KWMZ) covering an area of approximately 11,000 square kilometers.
 
The catchment consists of the 14 sub-catchments of Ukulat, Lake Okolitorom, Opeta-Bisna, Lake Kochobo, Apeduru-Apapai, Mt Napak, Muchimakat, Kelim, Taboki, Chebonet-Atari, Sipi, Muyembe, Simu-Sisi and Sironko, all falling under the 15 districts of Bulambuli, Kween, Kapchorwa, Sironko, Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Bukedea, Katakwi, Napak, Soroti, Kumi, Ngora, Bukwo, Serere and Nabilatuk.

The EURECCCA project targeted the restoration of 200 hectares and the demarcation of 194 kilometres of wetland boundary. Of these, at least 218 hectares have been restored, and 191.6 kilometers of wetland boundary demarcated. 

The wetlands rehabilitated include 32 hectares of Adoka wetland in Ngora district, 52 hectares of Ongino-Aakum wetland in Kumi district, 69 hectares of Kamurojo wetland in Serere district, and 65 hectares of Asubakietengei wetland in Katakwi district.
 
The Kamurojo wetland system, which feeds into the Lake Kochobo sub-catchment in the Awoja catchment, directly supports the livelihoods of six parishes and 21 villages. According to Balayo, the restoration of four wetlands in the Kamurojo wetland system has benefited the community. 

“Initially there was resistance from the communities living near the wetlands but after sensitisation they welcomed the restoration exercise. Now, the wetland system is a communal land for grazing cattle and the people are harvesting papyrus for home use.

 
Formation of water and environment cooperative societies
Communities that formerly encroached on the now protected areas along the riverbanks and wetlands have been supported to form Water and Environment Cooperative Societies (WECS) as a channel to disburse and manage the revolving funds under the EURECCCA project.
 
The Kyere WEC was formed by communities living around the Kamurojo wetland system. Henry Tito Okwalinga, the chairperson of the Kyere WEC, says the cooperative has 260 registered members, each with five shares. The main enterprises supported are fish farming, beekeeping, piggery, and sheep rearing. 

"The WEC received a total of Shs201.4 million. We have generated Shs412,000 from the sale of application forms. One of the benefits of this project is the creation of enough grazing land although initially, the people thought that the government wanted to grab their land. Many parts of the wetland have been rejuvenated and the floods have drastically reduced,” he says.

He adds that people now trap fish in the Kakuja swamp, that is part of the restored wetland. Currently, sheep rearing and fishery are among the most profitable projects. 

“Fishery is a heavy investment venture. We bought a fish feed-making machine at Shs30 million and installed it at the Kyere Town Council headquarters. However, we still lack materials such as sunflower cake, maize, soya bean, and silver fish, to make fish feeds. People received three sheep and in six months they have multiplied their animals, and after the sales, the people will repay the loans,” Okwalinga says. 
 
The cooperative has also bought 200 plastic chairs to earn extra income. Faustin Omoce, the chairperson of the Aitiji Ican Fish Pond in Amece village, Abuket Parish, says they have 3,000 three-month-old catfish in the 30 by 20-metre fenced pond. The fish are harvested when they are six to eight months old.
 
“We borrowed Shs3 million from the project. One hundred fish have since died, but we expect to earn Shs40 million from our first harvest after six months. We still need more from the cooperative because we want to construct another fish pond,” Omoce says.

However, while the fish pond cooperative initially had 17 members, only three active members remain. Omoce says members have abandoned the fish ponds, believing that they will not earn much.

“This business involves a lot of work like slashing and cleaning. We are not yet able to reach the high income we previously made from growing rice in the wetland. There are eight fish ponds but we can only harvest from five, which is not good because fish feeding is expensive,” Okwalinga chips in. 

The Kyere WEC also has a beekeeping component. Joseph Okalabo, the chairperson of the Abuket Bee Keepers group in Abuket Village, says the group has 11 members and owns 48 colonised beehives.
 
“We borrowed Shs10 million from the cooperative to buy the hives, a beekeeping suit, and to train members in beekeeping. We harvested only 20 kilograms during our first harvest because the hives were still being colonised. Now, the hives are 90 percent colonised and in our second harvest in March 2024, we got 60 kilograms of honey, which we sold at Shs18,000 per kilogram,” Okalabo says.
 
Measures to restore Lwakhakha sub-catchment 
MWE, with support from the World Bank, is implementing the Integrated Water Management and Development Project (IWMDP) in the Lwakhakha sub-catchment, which is located within the Mpologoma Catchment, also in the KWMZ.
 
The IWMDP aims to promote community-driven sustainable water and land management practices through tree planting, soil and water conservation, riverbank protection, gully rehabilitation, and alternative livelihoods for affected communities in the districts of Manafwa, Namisindwa, and Tororo.

Currently, the project is being implemented in Bulako village, Bunyinza Town Council in Manafwa district with the demonstration of soil and water conservation measures including trenches, soil bunds, percolation pits, hedgerows, grass strips, diversion drains, and stone bunds.
 
Jennifer Kakayi Mwolobi owns eight acres of land on a hillside in Bulako village, where she grows matooke, maize, beans, groundnuts, cassava, and sweet potatoes. The 54-year-old widow also has five cows.

“Before this project started, I did not own a matooke plantation because all the top soil would be eroded during the rainy seasons. When stone bunds were constructed around my land, the soils were retained and accumulated in the gardens. That is when I developed the idea of planting matooke,” Mwolobi says.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification defines soil bunds as embarkments built along the contours of the field to reduce the velocity of runoff and soil erosion, retain water behind the bund, and support water infiltration. They also help in groundwater recharging. 

“I now earn between Shs50,000 and Shs60,000 per month from my half-acre matooke plantation. I use the money to educate my three children and cater for our household needs. I have learned how to space the banana plants to increase their productivity. Due to the positive results, I plan on planting another half-acres of matooke,” Mwolobi said.

The farmer, who is the vice chairperson of the Bulk Hotspot Committee, adds that her crop yields have increased tremendously due to the new technology to prevent runoff.

“I used to harvest three bags of maize but now, I harvest seven bags. When the demand is high in the market, I can earn up to Shs1 million per season from selling various crops. Before the project came to this village, I was earning Shs600,000 per season,” she says. 

Before the interventions, the are had only rocks because no crops would grow there. Adopting soil and water conservation technologies has reduced the loss of fertile soils, and as a result, the River Lwakhakha downstream has minimal silt, therefore improving its quality.

Haggai Ojwang, a water officer from the MWE, says in addition to the Lwakhakha sub-catchment,  the ministry is also implementing the project in the Apeduru-Apapai sub-catchment and the Lake Okolitotom sub-catchment, both in the Awoja Catchment.
 
“The project is looking at restoring degraded landscapes in these catchment areas by restoring riverbanks and gullies. We constructed the Bunyinza dam, a half-meter-deep gabion check dam or gulley plug, to control soil erosion in Bulako village. When it rains, the soil collects at the back of the dam as the water flows downstream. People have appreciated this technology because the soil is no longer eroded every time it rains,” he says.

The trenches and soil bunds were constructed with technical support from the project. They are two feet wide and two feet deep. Ojwang says the hotspot committees help in mobilising the community to participate in the actual implementation, supervision, and maintenance of the soil and water conservation structures.

“The importance of the trench is to check the speed of the running water and increase its infiltration into the soil for the benefit of the crops, and to control soil erosion as well. The shrubs are harvested to compliment the firewood collection in households,” he says.
 

Percolation pits were constructed along the run-off paths to divert water into them. Soil from the pits is collected and used as fertiliser. In the dry season, the pits are distilled.
 
“If the water manages to go over the soil bund, it flows into the trench. In this process, you are improving the moisture content of the soil, which improves the crop yields. Additionally, if there is too much water it helps in recharging the groundwater sources like springs and boreholes,” Ojwang adds.

Milestones 
The milestones achieved by the project include the establishment of three tree nurseries each with a production capacity of 90,000 seedlings; 150 hectares of individual farmers/public land restored with soil and water conservation measures; demonstration of water source protection on 20 water sources; and tree growing on 200 hectares of deforested and degraded communal and individual land.

Additionally, 72 kilometers of the degraded stretches of the major rivers were restored; 6.73 kilometers of gullies were treated to control erosion, siltation, and destruction of property; and 400 households were trained and supported in establishing alternative income-generating activities, which include fodder production, construction of energy saving stoves, and apiary.
 
David Khabunze, a resident of Bukewa Cell in Bunabwana Ward is involved in fodder production.  The 42-year-old grows Napier grass for his cows and sells the surplus to other livestock farmers in the community.

“I harvest the grass every six months. The advantage of the project in this area is that we no longer move long distances looking for grass. We are now practicing zero grazing. This grass is healthy for a lactating cow and also causes it to produce a huge quantity of milk.,” Khabunze added.

He grows other types of grass besides Napier grass, which are tasty to livestock, nutritious, easy to digest, and are drought-tolerant. These include brachiaria grass, vetiver grass, and calliandra grass.

“Fodder production benefits those individuals affected by the project. Other environmentally friendly activities that we are trying to promote and support include the construction and use of energy cook stoves and the establishment of apiaries,” Ojwang says.

The project has also introduced the growing of pine woodlots, which will boost the community’s incomes in the long run.

Grace Mutonyi, a widow and mother of three is among the beneficiaries of the energy-saving cooking stoves in Bulako village. Previously, she used the traditional three-stone stove, spending between Shs3,000 to Shs5,000 daily on firewood to prepare meals for her family. However, with this new technology, she sometimes uses firewood worth Shs500 per day.

“I use only two pieces of firewood per day. The new stove does not produce a lot of smoke compared to the three-stone stove. This protects our health. The stove can keep food warm for a long period since it retains heat even when the hot firewood has stopped burning,” she says.
 
Mutonyi, who is also a member of the Bulako Hotspot Committee, benefits from the protected water source (Bulako Borehole), the gullies that were rehabilitated, and the trees she planted in her farmland.

Ojwang told Daily Monitor that 134 households are involved in making energy-saving stoves within the sub-catchment. The target is to construct 2,000 cookstoves by project closure this year. To conserve trees, some women use charcoal briquettes in the stoves instead of firewood.

Additionally, the Buwasibi borehole in Buwasibi village in Bunabwana Ward has been protected with a chainlink fence around it to keep away animals and control access to this borehole. 

“The water source protection is done to improve the quantity of the water source and the water it yields. When you have a good quantity of water, the livelihoods of the users are enhanced. The percolation pits facilitated the infiltration of surface run-off water into the ground therefore recharging the aquifer from which the borehole gets its water,” Ojwang says.

The restoration of the two important wetland systems has impacted the community with benefits such as the regeneration of wetland vegetation and re-emergence of various birds and animals, increased harvesting of papyrus and other wetland products for building and making crafts for household use and sale, increased water levels and existence of moisture for a longer period hence ensuring sustainable access to water for production, fishing, and domestic use.

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