Golfers commemorate Independence with tree planting tournament

There was outrage on social media when some of the oldest trees at the Uganda Golf Club course at Kitante were recently cut down with some castigating the management of the golf club for their insensitivity to the environment.

What they didn't know was that golfers are very friendly to the environment because a  golf course can be a healthy natural environment. The grass and trees and bushes filter dust and pollen; the green space has a cooling effect on the surroundings.

It is for that reason that golfers at the Uganda Golf Club (UGC) are obliged to nurture and protect probably the largest green belt in Kampala.

It is estimated that the course has 20,000 trees. However, some of the trees have grown too old and are either drying up or falling by themselves thereby causing injury to persons and or damaging the course. It is such trees (about 100) that were cut down.

According to UGC captain Jackson Karyarugokwe the club plans to replace these with 2000 trees of different species approved by both the National Forestry Authority (NFA) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

"In undertaking this tree planting exercise, UGC sought and obtained technical input from the NFA and approval from KCCA. These two institutions have come out in a big way and are key partners in this exercise," Karyarugookwe told a press conference at the club on Tuesday.

"The NFA, in particular, is providing all the seedlings that will be planted on October 12, the same day golfers will play a tournament in support of the tree planting exercise,"

Some of the old trees that have been cut at the Kitante golf course. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

He said the tree planting tournament also commemorates Uganda's 57^th Independence anniversary celebrations.

Stuart Maniraguha, the director plantations NFA, Danie Padde and Cornelius Bakaki KCCA urban foresters and Canaanze Construction marketing director Tedros Haile and UGC Honorary Secretary Michael Mwine attended the press conference.

Karyarugookwe recognised the other partners that have come in to make the exercise a success, namely; Uganda Timber Growers Association, Nation Media Group, Canaanze Construction Limited, Golf Course Hotel and Hethrow Project.

Mwine said school children of Gems Cambridge International School and Galaxy International School will also take part in the tree-planting drive having heeded to their call.

Padde said KCCA does approve the cutting and planting of trees in the city under the landscape department.

"It is the mandate of KCCA to manage all the trees in the city and with many road infrastructure projects going on it's the responsibility of all us to ensure we replace the trees that have been or are going to be cut.

"We have offered technical advice to the UGC and we have advised them to plant indigenous trees in to preserve them so that they don't become extinct in the near future and we call upon all Kampala dwellers to follow this initiative so that we can preserve the environment," Padde stated.

Maniraguha welcomed the greening initiative by the golf club and said it was the reason they joined the drive by offering 2000 indigenous species and about 550 ornamentals.

"It is within our mandate as NFA to ensure that this country is as green as possible for sustainable development. Our mandate is much beyond Kampala, so we call on you to encourage the youth to plant trees so that we replace the forest cover that is on a declining trend," Maniraguha advised.

He said they have 30 nurseries around the country that produce 15 million seedlings annually that are given to people free of charge to ensure the central forest reserves remain intact.