Written By | BK Mugizi
Part of the degraded wet land in Rwentuha town council,Bushenyi district
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BUSHENYI
The Minister for Local Government, Balam Barugahara, has ordered the interdiction of Bushenyi District Environment Officer Vincent Katate and the arrest of businessman Moses Ariho, director of Kituzi Farm Company Limited and Kituzi Highway Point, over the alleged degradation of a gazetted wetland in Rwentuuha Town Council. Barugahara also accused Katate of failing to protect the wetland and allegedly colluding with encroachers to facilitate its destruction.
The minister issued the directives during a field inspection of the wetland below Kituzi Highway Point on Saturday, where he expressed concern over what he described as selective enforcement of environmental laws, with wealthy developers allegedly being allowed to encroach on protected areas while poorer residents are evicted.
Minister faults district officials
The minister accused the Bushenyi District technical team of turning a blind eye to wetland encroachment by wealthy individuals, citing the construction of a Kituzi petrol station inside the protected wetland.
"What are encroachers doing in a wetland? The poor are being evicted from wetlands and the rich stay there. The environment officer should be arrested," Barugahara ordered.
He also directed that Ariho be arrested over his alleged involvement in the wetland degradation.
Barugahara warned that the destruction of the wetland would undermine agricultural production and threaten wildlife habitats, including those of the grey crowned crane, Uganda's national bird.
"We shall not have water here for irrigation. I am even seeing crested cranes in the wetland, and when you destroy this, our crested cranes will have nowhere to stay, and the repercussions are there," he said.
The degraded wetland in Rwentuuha town council
NEMA boss disowns development
To establish whether the developer had obtained clearance to undertake activities in the protected area, Barugahara called the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Executive Director, Dr Barirega Akankwasah, while at the site.
"I am in a town council called Rwentuuha. There is a man called Kituzi; he has encroached on a wetland, and I don't know whether he was cleared. If you never cleared him, please charge him and mark the wetland," Barugahara told the NEMA boss.
Akankwasah said he did not recall authorising the activities and promised to send a team to investigate.
"I need to check because I don't think I cleared him to degrade the wetland. I am going to send the team to inspect him," he said.
Bushenyi District LC5 Chairman Prosper Twebaze said the wetland was gazetted and required urgent restoration following the encroachment.
"This is a gazetted wetland that needs to be worked on because it has been reclaimed," Twebaze said.
The Assistant Resident District Commissioner, Hillary Ngambirne, also raised concerns over the methods allegedly being used to degrade the wetland.
He said some individuals had been using chemical herbicides, digging illegal drainage channels and engaging in other activities that violate wetland protection laws.
Environment officer faces interdiction
Barugahara accused Katate of failing to provide technical guidance and coordinate with police to stop the degradation and facilitate the restoration of the wetland.
"The district environment officer, Katate Vincent, has failed to provide guidance and coordinate with the police to restore the wetland. He seems to be dealing with the encroachers. He needs to be investigated," the minister said.
