Speaker Among slams NEMA, Police on Lubigi evictions

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The Speaker of Parliament, Anitah Among, described as unfortunate and uncalled for, how Police descended on Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi and his team during an oversight visit in Nansana around Lubigi wetlands.

The Speaker wondered why the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) only evicted locals in Lubigi, yet there are several malls built in wetlands and these have not been erased as was the case with the houses and businesses in Lubigi.

“Our work is supposed to understand our citizens and in understanding our citizens, we are supposed to understand and know what they are going through and in the process of us knowing and understanding what they are going through, allow us to do our work and I must thank you (Joel Ssenyonyi) for going to check the team, I want to thank you so much but at the same time, we shouldn’t be tear gased or whichever because we are doing our work as legislators,” the Speaker said while chairing plenary on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

“Unfortunately, we were met with teargas, live ammunition, we had not gone to fight. We had not even gone to tell those who were demolishing to stop, I don’t have those powers. I had gone to listen to these people. People settle in an area for years, there is a man who said he has been there for over 40 years. People have constructed huge structures and the Government is watching and does nothing about it and they settle there for years and you wake up now, why? Help us understand, was the Government sleeping on the job? Or were they waiting in the corner saying you construct, get bank loans, spend all your money then you come and demolish? Why are we operating this way?” Ssenyonyi told Parliament.

In 2022, President Yoweri Museveni directed Residential City Commissioners (RCCs) of Kampala to fast-track the eviction of encroachers on the Lubigi Wetland.

According to the RCC for Kampala Aminah Lukanga, the encroachers were given one week to vacate the wetland.