NEMA orders Lake Victoria encroacher to restore shoreline

KAMPALA - The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has ordered the developers of Ddungu Resort Beach in Munyonyo to restore a section of the Lake Victoria shoreline within 21 days, following an investigation by The New Vision that exposed illegal encroachment.

In an environmental restoration order issued on April 7, 2026, NEMA said its enforcement team uncovered multiple violations during a site inspection carried out on April 6 in Mulungu, Buziga zone in Makindye division, Kampala.

According to the findings, the encroachers constructed a perimeter wall extending approximately 98m into Lake Victoria and rising about 1.3m above the water level.

The inspection further revealed that a stretch of the lakeshore measuring about 226m, covering nearly one acre, had been altered and developed without the mandatory environmental approvals. NEMA said the developments fall within the legally protected lakeshore zone and contravene provisions of the National Environment Act, which restricts construction and land reclamation within buffer zones meant to safeguard water bodies.

“You constructed structures within the protected lakeshore zone without prior written approval, resulting in environmental degradation,” the NEMA order states.

Click here to read New Vision's earlier investigative story
 
The order was signed by NEMA executive director Barirega Akankwasah, who said the directive will remain in force until full environmental restoration is achieved.

As part of the directive, the encroachers have been instructed to immediately cease all ongoing activities at the site.

According to the restoration order, they must also demolish the illegal structures, remove all construction materials, including stones and gabions dumped into the lake and restore the shoreline to its original condition.

The authority further ordered the encroachers to vacate the protected zone with immediate effect, warning that non-compliance within the stipulated 21 days will trigger enforcement action.

This could include forced restoration, recovery of costs through legal proceedings and possible criminal prosecution.

The action follows an investigation in The New Vision, which highlighted growing concerns about illegal developments along Lake Victoria, particularly in upscale lakeside suburbs such as Munyonyo and Buziga.

The report documented how sections of the shoreline are increasingly being reclaimed for private resorts, residences and leisure facilities. Environmental experts have long warned that such encroachment poses serious risks to the lake’s ecosystem.

The destruction of natural buffer zones not only threatens biodiversity but also increases water pollution, disrupts natural drainage systems and heightens the risk of flooding in surrounding communities.

According to environmental experts, Lake Victoria, which serves as a critical source of water, food and livelihood for millions across East Africa, is particularly vulnerable to human activity along its shores.

Conservationists argue that unchecked construction undermines both environmental sustainability and public access to the lake.

Akankwasah said NEMA has intensified enforcement operations targeting illegal developments in wetlands and along water bodies.