KCCA demolishes fuel station in Nakawa wetland

Sep 25, 2012

Kampala Capital City Authorities Tuesday morning demolished a fuel station that was being constructed in a Nakawa wetland.

By Vision Reporter

Kampala Capital City Authorities (KCCA) Tuesday morning demolished a fuel station that was being constructed in Nakawa wetland along Ntinda Road opposite Spear Motors.

In 2010, a row ensued between the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and a local businessman over the construction of a fuel station in this place.

The environment watchdog said the project at the Nakawa-Ntinda junction by Fuelex Uganda, was illegal due to lack of an Environment Impact Assessment certificate, as required by law.

KCCA enforcement officers look on as a tractor demolishes some of the illegal structure. Photo by Godfrey Kimono

NEMA accused Fuelex for embarking on the project, contrary to earlier directions.

The environment body also accused former integrity minister Tim Lwanga of being behind the project and defying orders from the authority.

Lwanga, who is the Kyamuswa MP, accepted that he was a partner in the business but maintained that the project had already been sanctioned by the authority.

The authority said the plot in question was fragile because it is a critical drainage line for storm waters from Nakawa hill into the Kinawataka wetland system across the Jinja highway.

Any construction will disrupt the ecological function of the wetland, causing major disruptions, NEMA says.

However, despite the concerns, Fuelex went ahead with the project, hoarding off the wetland and parts of the Jinja-Kampala highway as well as the Nakawa-Ntinda road reserves.

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