Police warn charcoal dealers, motorists over breaching ban
Kituuma said the inter-agency operations to enforce President Yoweri Museveni's Executive Order Number 3 of 2023, which bans charcoal burning and trade in West Nile, northern Uganda, Karamoja and Teso sub-region, remained in force.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma. (File)
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Police have warned charcoal traders, roadside sellers and transporters in northern Uganda and other areas covered by the presidential ban that they risk arrest and prosecution as enforcement operations continue.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the inter-agency operations to enforce President Yoweri Museveni's Executive Order Number 3 of 2023, which bans charcoal burning and trade in West Nile, northern Uganda, Karamoja and Teso sub-region, remained in force.
Addressing journalists at Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, October 12, Kituuma said security agencies had continued impounding charcoal and arresting suspects despite previous enforcement operations.
He cited operations conducted in Pabbo Town Council, Opara sub-county and Atiak Town Council within Amuru district on October 6.
In Pabbo, officers impounded a motor vehicle transporting 26 bags of charcoal and arrested the driver and turn boy.
In a separate operation conducted on October 10, along the Pakwach-Nebbi Road, security agencies impounded another 15 bags.
Kituuma said the operations demonstrated that people continued to engage in activities prohibited under the executive order despite enforcement efforts.
He reminded the public that the order, issued by President Museveni, had not been lifted and would continue to be enforced.
“The executive order, which was issued by the Commander-in-Chief, still stands, and it has not yet been vacated. So, it will remain in force,” he said.
Kituuma said security agencies were expanding their focus beyond motorists intercepted at checkpoints to include people selling charcoal along roadsides.
He warned that the enforcement measures would be applied to anyone found handling charcoal in the areas covered by the order, irrespective of whether the charcoal was intended for commercial sale or domestic use.
The police spokesperson said people transporting charcoal for personal use were not exempted from the restrictions.
He cited a case in which a pastor had contacted him seeking clarification about transporting a single bag of charcoal to Kampala for domestic use.
Kituuma said such explanations would not automatically shield a person from enforcement action.
“Whether you are carrying a single bag on your pick-up as an individual, we will not spare you in this operation,” he said.
He added that people who collected charcoal during visits to northern Uganda and transported it to other areas for cooking could also be arrested, have the charcoal impounded and face prosecution.
The warning comes amid continuing operations against charcoal burning and trade in the affected regions, with Police urging members of the public to familiarise themselves with the restrictions to avoid confrontations with enforcement officers.