NFA evicts abattoir workers
Oct 15, 2006
THE National Forestry Authority officials and armed policemen recently evicted about 150 workers of Abaita-Ababiri abattoir for occupying a forestry reserve in Kyewaga.
By Gladys Kalibbala
THE National Forestry Authority officials and armed policemen recently evicted about 150 workers of Abaita-Ababiri abattoir for occupying a forestry reserve in Kyewaga.
This followed a two-month eviction notice served to their chairman, Ibrahim Semakula.
The workers claimed to have acquired the land from Wakiso district in 1998, but could not avail documents of allocation.
The forestry supervisor in charge of Entebbe Beats, John Okwalinga, said, “an environmental impact assessment must be done before any activity is allowed in a forest reserve. It must be environmentally friendly, but the cement used in this place is not.†A big part of this land is cemented to allow water to flow to the slaughter area that usually gets stained by blood. Okwalinga accused them of cutting down trees and keeping cattle in the forest reserve.
“I want to remind you that the weather changes we are experiencing now are due to deforestation, so you must observe the National Tree Planting Programme by planting more trees so that we can get more rains,†he added.
“The late Tumusiime, who was the RDC of Wakiso in 1998, helped us get this land. Give us a few weeks to sort out this issue with the district. The business in the area will be paralysed if you evict all the people,†said the LC1 chaiman, Abby Sebbowa.
Ends
THE National Forestry Authority officials and armed policemen recently evicted about 150 workers of Abaita-Ababiri abattoir for occupying a forestry reserve in Kyewaga.
This followed a two-month eviction notice served to their chairman, Ibrahim Semakula.
The workers claimed to have acquired the land from Wakiso district in 1998, but could not avail documents of allocation.
The forestry supervisor in charge of Entebbe Beats, John Okwalinga, said, “an environmental impact assessment must be done before any activity is allowed in a forest reserve. It must be environmentally friendly, but the cement used in this place is not.†A big part of this land is cemented to allow water to flow to the slaughter area that usually gets stained by blood. Okwalinga accused them of cutting down trees and keeping cattle in the forest reserve.
“I want to remind you that the weather changes we are experiencing now are due to deforestation, so you must observe the National Tree Planting Programme by planting more trees so that we can get more rains,†he added.
“The late Tumusiime, who was the RDC of Wakiso in 1998, helped us get this land. Give us a few weeks to sort out this issue with the district. The business in the area will be paralysed if you evict all the people,†said the LC1 chaiman, Abby Sebbowa.
Ends