Ugandans cautioned against encroaching on protected natural resources
The ministry in partnership with Jinja district leaders, officially launched an initiative to reopen the legal boundaries of the 704-hectare Namavundu Central Forest Reserve and restore degraded riverbanks and islands along the River Nile.
Leo Twinomuhangi (second left, front row), Coordinator of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Water and Environment, poses for a group photo with Jinja district stakeholders after a meeting at the district headquarters on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Donald Kiirya)
_______________
JINJA — The Ministry of Water and Environment has cautioned members of the public against encroaching on protected natural resources, warning that land titles created in within forest reserves, riverbanks, or wetlands would be cancelled because they are nullities under Ugandan law.
Speaking during the district-level stakeholder engagement meeting in Jinja on August 18, Leo Twinomuhangi, the Coordinator for Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Water and Environment, emphasised; "Our Land Act is very clear that when a title is issued in reserved land, it is issued in error, and there is a clear process for its cancellation."
He added; "Nobody has the right to own a gazetted forest reserve or an island in the River Nile, though the law allows for community utilisation through licensing and collaborative management mechanisms. You have no right to own, but you have a right to use under license."
The ministry in partnership with Jinja district leaders, officially launched an initiative to reopen the legal boundaries of the 704-hectare Namavundu Central Forest Reserve and restore degraded riverbanks and islands along the River Nile.
The initiative is part of the broader Kalagala Itanda Falls Protection and Conservation Project (KIFPC), a sh186b government-funded intervention covering Jinja, Buikwe, Kayunga, and Kamuli districts.
The project aims at safeguarding critical water catchments, protect hydroelectric dam reservoirs, curb environmental degradation, and resolve long-standing land boundary conflicts.
To prevent future tampering with boundary marks, Twinomuhangi revealed that the ministry is introducing digital boundary pillars linked directly to a central monitoring unit.
"We are going to digitise our boundary markers. If anyone touches or destroys a pillar, the signal will alert the control room at the Ministry of Water. Technology will help us track and prosecute offenders without a struggle," Twinomuhangi noted.
Zakia Namususwa, the Jinja Senior District Forest Officer, outlined the district’s role in verifying land titles and preparing local communities for the exercise.
"We have carried out extensive mobilisation from the district level down to the grassroots to ensure coordination and harmony. This is not an eviction exercise; it is boundary re-opening. Together with the district staff surveyor, we are going to audit land records with the Ministry Zonal Office in Jinja to identify titles issued inside Namavundu Forest Reserve so that cancellation processes can begin," Namususwa stated.
Corroborating the technical framework, Viola Nakanyike, a staff Surveyor from the Ministry of Water and Environment, detailed the step-by-step field methodology being implemented.
"We are re-establishing a boundary that was surveyed long ago and whose records are fully intact. We are conducting a joint reconnaissance with district staff surveyors to locate original 1932 corner marks before planting new concrete pillars. Crucially, local communities will be employed to cut cut-lines, carry pillars, and dig boundary trenches so that they take full ownership of the marked borders," Nakanyike explained.
Highlighting ongoing violations along the Nile, Violet Nanangwe, the Jinja district secretary for production, pointed out unregulated commercial recreation centers operating along protected riverbanks.
"In Jinja, activities at places like Busowoko beach and surrounding falls are ongoing illegally under individual claims of ownership, creating severe safety and environmental risks. Lives have even been lost. This issue has become overly politicised, and we need immediate technical and security intervention," Nanangwe urged.
Responding to the issue, Moses Maganda, the Jinja District Natural Resource Officer, confirmed that enforcement actions have stalled due to compliance resistance.
"The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) issued direct orders to halt all illegal commercial activities along Busowoko beach, but operators simply hide when officials inspect and return as soon as we leave. We have formally requested specialised environmental enforcement support from NEMA because district enforcement capacity remains limited," Maganda stated.
Closing the meeting, the Jinja deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Hussein Malunda, called on all technical officers and civic leaders to act as ambassadors for environmental conservation while safeguarding local livelihoods.